(Clearwisdom.net) April 12, 2005 marked a day of historic significance for Falun Gong practitioners in Japan. Over the course of nearly one year and six months of effort, practitioners in Japan finally filed a lawsuit with the Osaka Local Court against the chief perpetrator of the persecution of Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin and his accomplices, including Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, Xia Deren and the Chinese Embassy in Japan.

On the morning of April 12, it rained continuously and the temperature also dropped. More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in the early morning near the Osaka Local Court and conducted a series of activities to promote Falun Dafa and call attention to the lawsuit.

On the pavement outside the front gate of the court, a group of practitioners unfurled banners with the words, "A brutal persecution of Falun Gong is taking place in China," and "Jiang Zemin is being sued outside China for genocide." Some practitioners held posters exposing the torture methods used in the persecution. They also sent forth righteous thoughts together. Some practitioners handed out Falun Gong truth-clarifying flyers to passersby at intersections around the courthouse. A recorded audio program calling for an end to the persecution was also broadcast.

Because the Osaka City Hall is located near the courthouse, some practitioners took the initiative to introduce Falun Dafa and explain the persecution on the streets outside the City Hall.

Other practitioners held a group practice of the Falun Gong exercises and frequently sent forth righteous thoughts in a park close to the local court, so as to clear away the evil elements in other dimensions that attempted to interfere with the lawsuit against Jiang.

At 11 a.m., the Falun Gong practitioners' attorney, together with lawyer Chu Wan-chi who represented the legal team for the Global Trial of Jiang Zemin, submitted the complaint to the local court. Five Falun Gong practitioners, including Japanese practitioners who are victims of the persecution, and the Japanese Falun Dafa Association filed a civil lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, Luo Gan, Xia Deren and the Chinese Embassy in Japan for genocide and defamation. They sued the defendants for damages of 60 million Japanese yen in compensation.

The plaintiffs' attorney (middle) accompanied by Falun Gong practitioners, on his way to the Osaka Local Court.

At 1: 15 p.m., the practitioners conducted a press conference at the journalists' club of the court. The plaintiffs' attorney, Lawyer Chu Wan-chi, a representative from the Japanese Falun Dafa Association, and the five plaintiffs delivered speeches. They introduced the background and course of this lawsuit and the plaintiffs' personal experiences in the persecution. The press conference drew attention from several major media outlets. Reporters from nearly 10 media outlets came to gather news and actively asked questions. The originally planned one-hour press conference had to be prolonged by about 30 minutes. Major newspapers including the Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, Daily Yomiuri, Mainichi Newspaper, Kyodo News, and Jiji Press covered the event.

Plaintiff Ms. Yoko Kaneko addressing the press conference

There was a continuous drizzle that day. After the press conference, at about 3:15 p.m., Falun Gong practitioners set off from a park near the City Hall and marched along Osaka's major business streets that circled the city. The 5.5-kilometer march lasted for about two hours. A truck fitted with speakers led the procession. Along the parade route, the truck broadcast information introducing Falun Gong, the persecution in China, the lawsuit against Jiang filed in Japan and an appeal to end the persecution. Directly behind the truck was a procession consisting of female practitioners dressed in white, carrying photos of fellow practitioners who have died from the persecution. Large banners with the words, "Falun Dafa is great," "Calling for an end to the persecution," and "Jiang Zemin is being sued for persecuting Falun Gong in Japan and 15 countries around the world" were carried in the procession, which attracted much attention from passersby. Although it rained, people stopped to watch the parade and accept flyers. Some people even came over to ask for more information.

During the march, the beautiful music of "Pu Du" and "Ji Shi," composed by Dafa practitioners, was played and resonated over the sky along the route. People were immersed in a compassionate and peaceful field.

Parade procession

A passerby accepting a flyer

Large poster depicting the brutal torture methods used against practitioners in China

At nearly 6 p.m. after the parade concluded, without taking a break or having dinner, practitioners immediately went to the Osaka working center to attend a rally in support of the lawsuit against Jiang. The plaintiffs' attorney first addressed the rally. He introduced how he came to participate in the lawsuit and the reason why he decided to accept this case. He said that through the practitioners' explanations, when he learned about the inhuman persecution against the innocent Falun Gong practitioners in China and that the Chinese Communist regime manipulated the media and the Internet to spread blatantly false information, he felt extremely indignant. When he learned that Jiang Zemin has been sued in a number of countries around the world for his persecution of Falun Gong, but that the issue was not known to the public in Japan, a close neighbor of China, he felt regret. In order to uphold human rights in the world, he said that he felt fortunate to be able to participate in this historic human rights lawsuit and personally file the suit in the Osaka Court.

Then the attorney introduced the reason why Jiang can be sued in Japan, saying that the suit is based on justice. Jiang's faction's genocide, torture and mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners are generally considered as crimes throughout the world. These kinds of crimes should and will definitely be tried and brought to justice, no matter where in the world.

Finally, the plaintiffs' attorney introduced how the Jiang's faction utilized the Chinese Embassy in Japan to defame the Japanese Falun Dafa Association, which is legally registered in Japan. He said the defamation directly violated Japanese Falun Gong practitioners' human rights. Through this lawsuit, the facts should be widely brought to the attention of the Japanese people, the media, the courts and all circles of society. He believes that this lawsuit will definitely be successful. He said that this lawsuit is also related to the Japanese people's future.

The plaintiffs' attorney addressing the rally

Next, a representative from the Japanese Falun Dafa Association, a council member of Kakogawa City, Lawyer Chu Wan-chi, plaintiff Yoko Kaneko and a representative from the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice delivered speeches at the rally.

A representative from the Japanese Falun Dafa Association expressed appreciation toward the plaintiffs' attorney and called upon the Japanese court not to bow to the Chinese Communist regime's pressure, but instead to uphold justice and the principle of legality in order to hold a just trial. Lawyer Chu Wan-chi, representing the legal team for the Global Trial of Jiang Zemin, expressed her respect and thanks toward the plaintiffs' attorney for his courage, sense of justice and high moral standards in representing the Japanese Falun Gong practitioners in filing the lawsuit. She also introduced the general situation and purpose of the lawsuit against Jiang around the world. She said that the purpose is to arouse the attention of the international community towards this genocidal persecution, demand the Chinese Communist regime to immediately stop the persecution and to bring the chief perpetrators, Jiang Zemin and his accomplices, to justice. Finally, she expressed the legal team's determination to carry through with the lawsuit.