(Clearwisdom Net)

From March 4 through 7, "The Committee to Rescue Yoko Kaneko" along with Lin Shenli, a practitioner from Canada, made a trip to visit Hiroshima City Hall and the executive offices in Hiroshima, Ehime-ken, Tokushima, Okayama and Yamaguchi Counties. They presented an appeal letter to the mayor of Hiroshima and the county commissioners, and held a series of press conferences to call on people to help rescue Ms. Yoko Kaneko.

Before the trip, the members of the committee had sent the appeal letter to six county councils in the Shikoku area. The letter stressed the urgent need for help in the release of Ms. Kaneko who is illegally detained by Jiang's regime in China. The rescue committee hoped that the county councils would, from a humanitarian basis, express their opinions to the Japanese Government asking for their assistance in helping Ms. Kaneko regain her freedom as soon as possible. In a meeting with the county officials in charge of international affairs, the rescue committee handed the appeal letter to the commissioners. When explaining the facts of the inhumane persecution over the last three years, Lin Shenli said that he was concerned that Ms. Kaneko was in grave danger. The rescue committee also mentioned that some Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who formerly studied in Japan were presently detained by Jiang's regime. In addition, many practitioners living in Japan have family members and relatives who are being persecuted in China. One Japanese official commented, "Whichever country people live in, they simply hope to have a peaceful life."

In the press conference, the rescue committee introduced the case of Ms. Yoko Kaneko, who was sentenced to one and a half years in forced labor camp simply because of handing out materials clarifying the truth about Falun Gong in Beijing. The briefing described the rescue activities, the illegality of the detention of Ms. Kaneko and her sister Luo Zhen who was also illegally jailed in China, and the facts of the Jiang Regime's persecution against Falun Gong. The committee called on help from all of the local communities to ask the Japanese Government to directly press the issue with China and to demand the unconditional and immediate release of Yoko Kaneko.

In a similar experience to that of Ms. Kaneko, Lin Shenli was sentenced to one and half years in forced labor camp after he signed an appeal letter calling for, "a peaceful dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Falun Gong practitioners." In the labor camp, Mr. Lin suffered all kinds of torture, including physical punishment and abuse, slave labor and attempted brainwashing. Mr. Lin's personal experience in detention confirmed the reports on human rights violations within Chinese forced labor camps. Further, he expressed his worry for Yoko Kaneko's life, because she was imprisoned under the same circumstances. "What Ms. Kaneko did doesn't violate any law in China," Lin pointed out, "Jiang was driven by his jealousy and his morbid, narrow mind. He launched the persecution against Falun Gong and even extended it overseas. It is Jiang that is violating the Constitution of China." In addition, Mr. Lin asked the Japanese Government, the communities and the media to be aware of the slander and lies fabricated and spread by Jiang's propaganda machines.

Using the Canadian Government's successful effort to rescue him as an example, Mr. Lin emphasized the importance of this kind of activity. In stark contrast, due to delays in rescue work, Australian resident Ms. Dai Zhizhen's husband, Chen Chengyong, was tortured to death in China. Mr. Lin hoped that the Japanese media and communities would appeal to the government to take up Ms. Kaneko's case with the Chinese authorities, to help her regain her freedom as quickly as possible.

Throughout the event, the county officials and media realized the seriousness of Yoko Kaneko's case after hearing the facts about the persecution against Falun Gong in China. They also expressed their concern on the issue. Particularly in Tokushima County, ten different media representatives came to the press conference. The journalists kept asking so many questions that the practitioners had to postpone their trip to another press conference in Okayama County. The camera crew from a local TV station continuously filmed the meeting. It is sincerely hoped that there will be more of such activities in more areas.

Written on March 26, 2003