Japan: Practitioners Peacefully Protest at Chinese Embassies, Calling for an End to the 25-year Persecution of Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) On July 19 and 20, 2024, practitioners from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo held rallies in front of their respective embassies and consulates to protest the persecution of Falun Gong in China. They asked the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to end the persecution that has gone on for 25 years and hope that more countries and people will join them in condemning the CCP’s persecution and act to stop the atrocities.

On July 19, practitioners went to the Chinese Consulate in Osaka to express their demands. Fukuoka practitioners went to the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka, despite the wind and rain, to display banners calling for an end to the persecution.

Practitioners peacefully protested in front of the Chinese Consulate in Osaka on July 19.

Practitioners peacefully protested in front of the Fukuoka Central Consulate on July 19.

Demand that the CCP Immediately Release Their Relatives and All Illegally Detained Falun Gong Practitioners

On 20 July, practitioners went to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo to peacefully express their demands. Practitioners Zhang Yiwen and Zhang Shuhui’s relatives in China were recently arrested. They unfurled banners calling for attention from the international community and demanding that the CCP immediately release their relatives and all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners.

Zhang Yiwen (center) reads a letter of protest in front of the Chinese Communist Embassy.

Zhang Yiwen read a letter in front of the Chinese embassy. Her mother, Ms. Wang Lingyan, a Falun Gong practitioner in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, was illegally detained by the police on April 11 this year. She was taken from her home and held in the Baoji City No. 2 Detention Center. She has been formally charged by the public security department and faces sentencing. The family has not been able to meet with Ms. Wang, and the lawyer has seen her only once. Details of that meeting are unknown.

In her letter, Zhang Yiwen described how ill her mother was before she practiced Falun Gong. After the persecution began, she was persecuted many times. She said her mother’s experience was only the tip of the iceberg of many persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.

Zhang Shuhui (center) protests in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Zhang Shuhui’s aunt, Ms. Zhong Fangqiong, a Falun Gong practitioner in Chengdu, was arrested by officers from the South Police Station in the Xindu District of Chengdu on June 27, 2024. She is being held in the Chengdu City Detention Center. Zhang Shuhui said, “...the freedom to believe in Falun Gong in China should also be protected. There is no law in China’s constitution that says practicing Falun Gong is illegal. Ms. Zhong has broken no laws and should be released immediately.”

Practitioners in Tokyo demonstrate the exercises in a park.

Mr. Nguyen, a practitioner from Tokyo, said, “I started practicing Falun Gong in 2019. I used to have many health problems and many bad habits. After practicing, I got rid of my bad habits, and my ailments were gone. My heart has improved a lot, my temper has improved, and my family has become harmonious. I learned to treat my friends, family, and society with kindness, and my work became easier.”

Mr. Ruan said, “I came here to tell people that Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! Falun Gong is beneficial to people and harms no one. Another goal of mine is to tell people the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong.”

Nagoya practitioners unfurl three banners in front of the Chinese Consulate, calling on the CCP to stop its 25-year persecution of Falun Gong.

At 11 a.m. on 20 July, practitioners in Nagoya gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate and unfurled three banners: “Falun Dafa,” “Falun Gong—25 Years of Protesting the Persecution,” and “Stop Persecuting Falun Gong,” calling on the CCP to stop the persecution.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huy, who participated in the event, said, “Now, more and more people are seeing the evil nature of the CCP, and everyone is choosing what they can do to expose the CCP. Despite the hot weather today, everyone held banners in front of the Chinese Consulate to call for an end to the persecution.”

Ms. Nguyen said, “The police who maintained order here knew that we were peacefully and rationally protesting, and their attitude towards us was becoming more and more kind. In particular, the recent passage of the Falun Gong Protection Act by the United States House of Representatives has made us feel that the persecution will soon end.

On July 20, practitioners held an event in front of the Chinese Consulate in Sapporo to expose the 25-year long persecution.