Recounting the Tireless Efforts of Japanese Practitioners to Rescue Yoko Kaneko from Detention in China

Yoko Kaneko, a Japanese Dafa Practitioner, decided to validate Dafa on Tiananmen Square in order to expose Jiang's brutal persecution of Falun Gong and let more people know that Dafa has spread to more than 50 countries in the world. At that time, people told her to reconsider her decision since her nationality was Chinese. Yoko said resolutely: "Nationality is not an issue as long as the righteous thoughts are strong." She was very firm.

Yoko went with me and another Japanese practitioner. In China, Yoko treated everyone we came across as someone to clarify the truth to. For example, one time on the train, several people next to us were talking about the slandering propaganda on Chinese TV about Dafa. Yoko immediately clarified the truth to them, told them that Dafa has spread throughout the world. Most of the people in our car listened to her quietly for almost an hour.

After three of us were illegally arrested while distributing truth-clarification materials on the street, she said only one sentence: "Completely deny all arrangements of the old evil forces." Yoko encountered the most severe persecution. The evil policemen stepped on her face and neck. Four or five of them stomped on her. She kept telling the crowd that was watching them the truth of the self-immolation on Tiananmen Square. The policemen beat her hard to the ground in order to make her stop. When we were thrown into the police car, the left side of her face was bleeding.

In the police bureau, Yoko didn't answer any questions except to clarify the truth to the police. When policemen tried to take a picture of her, three policewomen assaulted her with fists and kicks. Yoko simply said: "Falun Dafa Hao!" After the policewomen failed, five or six policemen beat her to the ground, but they couldn't make Yoko give up. Not knowing what to do, the evil left her alone.

The other Japanese practitioner and I were sent back to Japan, and Yoko was illegally detained. In order to resist the evil's persecution and rescue Yoko Kaneko, Japanese practitioners held press conferences in many areas. In the Nara City area where Yoko used to live, we held a parade with the theme of rescuing her. Many local TV stations and news agencies covered this activity.

In Tokyo, we established the Yoko Kaneko Rescue Committee and began collecting signatures on petitions. In Nara City alone, we collected 7,000 signatures in one day. Many kind and righteous people, lawyers, students, housewives, senior citizens, government officials, corporate employees and so on, were sympathetic to Falun Gong practitioners because of the persecution they are suffering. Some said when signing: "How could the Chinese government be like this? This is absolutely not allowed. I will sign the names of all my family members." Some lawyers gave us very good suggestions and offered to introduce more lawyers to us.

There were many touching stories during the signature drive. For example, one time several Dafa practitioners were to go out for signatures, and it rained hard. Practitioners were a little hesitant: could we still collect signatures in such a heavy rain? At that time, one of them said, "We have to go, rain or shine." That simple sentence shows that Dafa practitioners are helping people with their hearts.

Meanwhile, practitioners put up big banners for rescuing Yoko Kaneko in front of the Congress. They distributed truth-clarification materials to and collected signatures from passengers, no matter whether it was hot summer or windy and raining. Even in strong wind and rain, practitioners still put up the banners. Practitioners' kind and righteous efforts moved policemen and members of Congress. Some policemen said: "Falun Gong is truly remarkable!"

At the end of July, we started a 10-day SOS walk. Participants came mainly from Nagasaki and Osaka. Most of the participants were elderly practitioners over 60 years old. Practitioners endured hot weather and sunburn, strong winds and heavy rain. They spent the nights in a park by the lake and on the ground. Many little practitioners slept in the rain. However, practitioners overcame all of these obstacles, collected signatures along the way and delivered truth-clarification newspapers to every house. A veteran practitioner said: "When I am tired and thirsty, I think of what Master said, 'When it's difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it's impossible to do, you can do it.'" Many people were moved by the practitioners.

Practitioners throughout Japan collaboratively launched extensive truth-clarification activities to members of the Congress, local Congressmen, different levels of governments and different levels of society.

By the end of July, the number of signatures had reached more than 30,000. Among them, there were more than 50 Congressmen, and 20 professors and lawyers. Due to the tireless efforts of practitioners, twenty-one members from four major political parties in Japan, including the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party, formed an alliance to rescue Falun Gong practitioner Yoko Kaneko. Mr. Makino and several other congressmen, together with Mr. Atsushi Kaneko, Yoko Kaneko's husband, went to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to meet with Mr. Seiken Sugiura, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, and handed him nearly 30 thousand signatures of support from Japanese citizens urging the Japanese government to take action to rescue Ms. Yoko Kaneko. Mr. Seiken Sugiura expressed that they would do their best to rescue her: "She is the wife of a Japanese citizen. We'll not spare any efforts in rescuing her. We will treat her as Japanese."

At the beginning of August, Mr. Atsushi Kaneko, Yoko Kaneko 's husband, managed to visit Yoko in China. He submitted his protest to the Jiang government regarding the severe human rights violations Jiang's accomplices were committing against Yoko. Upon his return, he revealed details of Yoko's bad environment and persecution.

Dafa practitioners in Japan call for help from all kindhearted people in the world. Let's rescue Yoko and tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who are persecuted in China. Let's end this inhuman and immoral evil persecution as soon as possible.

Aug 27, 2002