Farewell to Internationalist Fighter Kozo Okamoto… The Last Fedayeen of Lod Airport
Japanese militant Kozo Okamoto, known within the ranks of the Palestinian resistance as “Ahmad al-Yabani” (Ahmad the Japanese), passed away at the age of 78 in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a revolutionary journey spanning more than five decades, during which he dedicated his life to the Palestinian cause. With his passing, a chapter closes on an era of revolutionary internationalism that transcended borders and national identities in defense of Palestine.
Okamoto was the last surviving participant in the 1972 Lod Airport operation, an event that became one of the most enduring episodes in the history of the Palestinian resistance. His name came to symbolize a man who chose to leave behind his homeland and nationality to join what he believed was humanity’s struggle against occupation.
🕊️ Farewell to a Man Who Never Compromised
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mourned its longtime comrade, confirming that he passed away on July 23, 2026, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where he had lived for decades under the protection of the resistance after receiving political asylum in Lebanon in 2000.
Known among his comrades as “Ahmad the Japanese,” Okamoto remained steadfast in his convictions until his final days, despite years of imprisonment, pursuit, illness, and exile. He stood as a living witness to an era when solidarity with Palestine transcended geography and national identity.
He will be laid to rest in Beirut—the city that embraced him, just as it embraced generations of Palestinian fighters.
✊ From Tokyo to Palestine… The Journey of an Internationalist Revolutionary
On May 30, 1972, Okamoto, together with fellow members of the Japanese Red Army, Tsuyoshi Okudaira and Yasuyuki Yasuda, took part in the Lod Airport operation. The operation was carried out in coordination with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and was presented by the organization as a response to Israeli actions, including the destruction of civilian aircraft at Beirut International Airport in 1968.
Okamoto was captured following the operation and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, beginning a new chapter of his life in Lebanon, where he remained committed to the Palestinian cause until his passing.
🌍 A Symbol of Revolutionary Internationalism
Kozo Okamoto was more than a fighter; he became a symbol of a generation that believed Palestine was not merely the cause of one people, but the cause of free people everywhere.
He chose to leave his country and abandon the comforts of ordinary life to join the Palestinian resistance, convinced that confronting occupation was a moral and human responsibility that transcended national borders.
With his death, one of the last living figures embodying the era in which global liberation movements converged with the Palestinian revolution has passed into history.
🕊️ A Legacy That Will Endure
Kozo Okamoto’s name will remain etched in the memory of many as one of the most recognizable symbols of international solidarity with Palestine—a man who devoted the years of his life to his convictions, moving from prison to exile before finally finding refuge in Lebanon, the country that sheltered him until his final breath.