Japan: Canadian Human Rights Lawyer Speaks, Elected Officials Condemn CCP’s Live Organ Harvesting

(Minghui.org) The Association to Investigate China Organ Transplantation held three seminars in Nara, Yokohama, and Tokyo from October 20 to 24, 2022. Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas was invited to speak at the seminars. Mr. Matas explained in detail the current situation of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) organ harvesting from living people, prisoners of conscience incarcerated for their beliefs.

Three elected officials participated in the seminars and condemned the CCP’s atrocity. They called on the Japanese government to conduct an independent investigation and work with the international community to stop the organ harvesting atrocities. 

Seminars on China’s forced organ harvesting were held in Nara, Yokohama, and Tokyo from October 20-24.

Mr. Rintaro Ishibashi, member of the House of Representatives, said, “Although many international organizations have conducted investigations into the live organ harvesting, I think the Japanese government should not just copy these findings, but step forward to conduct an independent investigation.”

Mr. Rintaro Ishibashi, member of the House of Representatives

Tomoyuki Ogisu, Yokkaichi City Council Member, Mie Prefecture, said, “Mr. Matas mentioned using the power of the international judicial tribunal and the United Nations. It is an effective method, but I think Japan should promote this matter from a national standpoint.”

Tomoyuki Ogisu, Yokkaichi City Council Member 

Mr. Haruyama Maruyama, Zushi City Council Member, Kanagawa Prefecture, said, “I think the Japanese government should push forward the reform of the United Nations with a strong attitude to stop the CCP’s evil deeds of organ harvesting. We will also help stop the CCP’s atrocities to make a difference and will continue to support you in the future.” 

Mr. Haruyama Maruyama, Zushi City Council Member

David Matas: Japan Should Pass Transplant Tourism Act

Mr. Matas said that the CCP historically always chooses an innocent group as its political enemy and incites people to hate this group. Falun Dafa was popular in China, and the number of Dafa practitioners exceeded that of the CCP before it was persecuted. This is the reason why Falun Dafa was suppressed by the CCP. The CCP obtains huge benefits through organ transplantation and kills many practitioners for their organs to sell them to people who go to China for transplants. This has essentially become a murder trade.

Mr. David Matas, human rights lawyer

“Taiwan has set a good example for the international community with the Transplant Tourism Act,” Mr. Matas said. “In Taiwan, if the organ donor is from overseas, the specific country, city and hospital name of the organ source must be reported. That’s great, and I think Japan should have something like this.”

Mr. Matas has traveled to Japan numerous times to expose the CCP’s live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. Now, more and more elected officials and people have learned about the CCP’s deeds and have condemned the atrocity.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, the actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.