Japan: Yoko Kaneko Holds Press Conference in Tokyo to Reveal Her Experience in China

With the help from people of all walks of life, Yoko Kaneko returned to Japan in November 27. She held a press conference in Tokyo on December 22. About 10 media attended. Yoko expressed her gratitude to all Japanese people and shared her experience during her 1.5-year detention in China.

Yoko Kaneko said that she wouldn't have been able to come back home safe without the help of the Japanese government, all kind-hearted Japanese people and fellow Falun Gong practitioners. She expressed her gratitude to everyone. She said that many kind-hearted Japanese had shown great concern since her return. The day before this trip to Tokyo, her local officials phoned her and asked about her health condition. Because many Japanese are interested in her 1.5-year experience in China, she took this opportunity to share it with media. As an acknowledgement to the public, she also hoped to share her experience with the public through media coverage.

After she was arrested, Yoko Kaneko said that she had then suffered all kinds of physical and mental torture in jail, labour camp, and at a hospital designated by the Jiang regime to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. In labour camp, she and other practitioners were forced to attend brainwashing sessions, in which they were not allowed to sleep for prolonged time. Some practitioners were only allowed to sleep for about 1 or 2 hours, some were deprived of the right to sleep completely, some were even not allowed to sleep for more than 20 days. Besides this, the guards used all kinds of torture methods. Everyday from about 5am to 10pm, she was put to work to produce slave products. In such a grim environment, her health situation deteriorated quickly. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, she later lost her eyesight for short period of time. Because her arms were tied from the back for long time, even 1 month after her return to Japan, she still can't raise them high up. Hers eyes are still very sensitive to lights.

Yoko Kaneko said that her health condition has significantly improved now. She has good food to eat and can sleep soundly. However, her heart sinks whenever she thinks about other Falun Gong practitioners who are still suffering in Chinese labour camps.

When answering questions from reporters, Yoko Kaneko said that guards encouraged other criminal inmates to beat up Falun Gong practitioners. By doing so, those inmates even got rewards such as penalty reduction or parole. For those female practitioners who remained faithful and unyielding, they sexually abused them. She recalled that at her early days in the labour camp she saw a young girl about 19 years old who appeared to be absent-minded. According to others, this little girl was very firm in Falun Gong belief when she just came to the labour camp. The guards thus instigated some drug abusers to strip off her clothes and sexually abuse her. She was mentally traumatized and then appeared to be absent-minded. When Yoko Kaneko was in Beijing Hospital of Public Security Bureau, a practitioner told her another tragedy. In a brainwashing session at this practitioner's area, a female Falun Gong practitioner was stripped off all her clothes and hung on a tree naked by the hired roughnecks. At that moment, the practitioner couldn't take the stress any longer. After she was laid down to the ground, she ran away naked.

Yoko Kaneko said that she was outraged and terrified by such cruel and inhuman abuses to human dignity.

At the end of the press conference, the chairman of "Yoko Kaneko Rescue Alliance" Mr. Kitajima declared that the Alliance has fulfilled its mission and was then disbanded as Yoko Kaneko had come back. In order to rescue other Japanese and relatives of Falun Gong practitioners in Japan, however, he announced that the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners Japan Charter was formed today and the chairperson was Yoko Kaneko. In her inauguration oration, Yoko Kaneko said that it was everyone's joint efforts that rescued her back to Japan. She called on the public to continue to pay attention to this important issue and help to rescue more innocent Falun Gong practitioners.