(Clearwisdom.net) On August 12, 2003 the Japanese newspaper SHIKOKU reported: "At the end of May 2002, Ms. Yoko Kaneko, a 38-year-old resident of Hamochi Town at Niigata-Ken was arrested and detained in Beijing, China for distributing Falun Gong materials. The Alliance for Rescuing Yoko Kaneko held a signature collecting activity in front of the Sancho Building on Central Store Street, Takamatsu City, to appeal to the Japanese government for the immediate rescue of Ms. Yoko Kaneko.

Ms. Yoko Kaneko was born in China. Her Chinese name is Luo Rong. In 1999 she moved to Niigata. In May 2002, she went back to China and was arrested for distributing Falun Gong materials. She was sentenced to one and a half year of forced labor.

Since its inception in June 2003, the Alliance has driven around the country to raise awareness of the rescue campaign. Today, nine members of the Alliance came to Shikoku County to collect signatures and deliver the appeal letter to the relevant government departments."