Japan: Practitioners Hold Activities in Yamagata County To Help Rescue Yoko Kaneko

In Japan, various provincial and city councils hold their regular sessions at the end of June. It is a good opportunity for us to clarify the truth to all levels of the Japanese government. Dafa practitioners in different areas started handing in letters that appealed for the rescue of Yoko Kaneko from China.

On June 13, several practitioners from Tokyo drove to Yamagata County. Together with local practitioners, they visited Yamagata County Government, the County Board, Yamagata City Council, and the city's Service Institute. They submitted ten appeal letters and held a press conference. The government staff listened carefully to the practitioner's introduction to Falun Gong, explanation of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, the progress of the efforts to rescue Yoko Kaneko, and the lawsuit in the United States charging Jiang Zemin with genocide. The staff members recorded what the practitioners said. They paid great attention to Yoko Kaneko's case and were especially interested in learning about Falun Gong. In the County Board meeting the Vice Director of the Office of Affairs asked a lot of questions about Falun Gong. A practitioner presented the benefits of practising Falun Gong by sharing his personal experiences.

Interestingly, just as the practitioners were leaving the County Government office, a reporter from Yamagata Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (YBC) rushed in. After taping the practitioners handing in the appeal letter, he went with the practitioners to the County Council meeting. In the end, he interviewed some practitioners and explicitly enquired about Yoko Kaneko's situation and the progress of the rescue efforts. The practitioners provided him with detailed information. In the evening, upon turning on the TV, the practitioners saw the three Chinese characters of Falun Gong on the screen. The local TV station reported our clarifying the truth and handing in the appeal letter.

On June 14, the practitioners distributed newspapers containing information about Yoko Kaneko, and collected signatures in the downtown area of Yamagata City and some of the bus stations. Several passers-by told the practitioners that they had seen the story about them in the news on television the night before. Their interest encouraged the practitioners to do better. A gentleman working at a law firm handed the practitioners his business card and offered his help. Some people spontaneously signed the petition after reading the Dafa newspapers. Between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the practitioners distributed 2000 copies of the newspaper. Thus, more people came to know the truth.

On June 15, the practitioners distributed newspapers and collected signatures near the Uesugi Museum and Okitama Cultural Hall, the main tourist area in Yonezawa. There were a lot of tourists that day, and many of them expressed their interest in Yoko Kaneko's situation; some stopped and listened to the practitioners clarify the truth. Oftentimes, groups or families would ask to sign the petition. The practitioners became very busy whenever a tourist group of more than 12 people went to the site. Some tourists took more newspapers and passed them on to other people in their group. Many children happily ran over and asked for newspapers to give to their parents.

Eventually our three-day activity came to an end. We feel that, although we had talked to a lot of people during this time, there are still many others that don't know the truth. We need to do work harder and let more people know the truth about Falun Gong.