Last week, the political philosopher was to visit Japan to deliver a series of lectures by International House of Japan in Tokyo, and speak as at Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo.

“Japanese law states that people with a criminal record and over one year in prison cannot enter Japan. There is a clause to this though which states that political prisoners are exempt. The Japanese authorities insisted that he submit all relevant documents which would prove that he was a political prisoner - something which, according to statements made at the meeting, would involve tracking down thousands of pages of court documents in Italian and take many months. This was simply impossible to achieve. I was surprised to hear that Negri's French partner, Judith Revel, was also  requested to apply for a visa, even though as a French citizen this is not needed.  The organisers last night could not hide their immense sense of disappointment, and commented that this effective denial of entry amounted to an infringement of Negri's human rights as well as to the curtailment of intellectual, research and cultural freedom of university institutions. Some commented that it amounted to a sense of paranoia and political intervention by the government, especially in the run up to this summer's Tohyakou G8 Summit, which Japan hosts.” (Tactical Museum)

The Foreign Ministry informed the International House of Japan that Negri should apply for a visa, two days before his expected arrival, because it may be rejected, "given the circumstances these days." (Japantoday.com)

Antonio Negri was "accused in the late 1970s of various charges including being the mastermind of the Red Brigades (BR), involved in the May 1978 assassination of Aldo Moro among others, Negri was later cleared of any links with the BR. He was, however, sentenced to a long-term prison sentence on controversial charges of "association and insurrection against the state." Negri fled to France where he taught along with Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze. In 1997, he voluntarily returned to Italy to serve the end of his sentence, ending in 2003. (from Wikipedia bio)

for your viewing pleasue, Antonio Negri: A Revolt that Never Ends: