Kyoto Prefectural Police officers are seen entering Kumano dorm in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, on the morning of June 24, 2021. (Mainichi/Reiko Nakajima)

       Kyoto Prefectural Police officers are seen entering Kumano dorm in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, on the morning of June 24, 2021. (Mainichi/Reiko Nakajima)

       KYOTO -- Police on June 24 raided a Kyoto University dormitory in connection with the arrest of a 26-year-old man believed to be a far-left activist, sparking fierce protests from students.

       The search of the university's Kumano dorm in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward was the first of its kind since November 2018. Police suspect that the dorm has been used as a base for far-left revolutionary activists, and that the man frequented it.

       The man, believed to belong to far-left group All-Japan Federation of Students' Self-Governing Associations, known as Zengakuren, was arrested on June 21 for allegedly using a false address when renewing his driver's license at a police station in Kanagawa Prefecture in October 2020. He reportedly claimed there was no change to his home address in the prefecture when he was actually living in the city of Kyoto. He is said to have remained silent over the allegations.

       When some 140 Kyoto Prefectural Police investigators and riot police officers arrived at the dorm at around 9 a.m. on June 24, students living there rallied against the raid, telling police, "Show us a search warrant" and "There should only be investigators here. Why so many riot cops?" Police replied, "We're not going to argue here," and a struggle between the two sides continued in front of the dorm for about 10 minutes. Several investigators then entered the building and searched the site for about 90 minutes before leaving with confiscated items.

       The dorm students continued protesting while police searched the building, chanting with a microphone and speaker, "Arrest and extended detention over petty crime is a human rights violation."

       The conflict caused turbulent scenes in the area as an amplifier-equipped car drove around the dorm. The riot police squad remained outside the building and didn't enter the premises.

       According to Kyoto police, officers also raided Tokyo-based publisher Zenshinsha, a hub for extreme left revolutionary activists, on the same morning. Police say they have confiscated some 40 items including the publisher's newsletter "Zenshin" and notes.

       (Japanese original by Reiko Nakajima, Kyoto Bureau)

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