Some 50,000 signatures were submitted by friends to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand the release of journalist Toru Kubota, who was detained in Myanmar, where the military holds power.
Journalist Toru Kubota was detained by security authorities at the site of a protest demonstration against the ruling military in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, on the 30th of last month. prosecuted for violations.
To demand his release, Kubota's friends set up an Internet site, collected about 50,000 signatures in a week, and handed them over to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Takako Suzuki.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs explained that there was no problem with Mr. Kubota's health and that he had not been able to meet him yet.
Naoki Uchiyama, a friend of Mr. Kubota and a documentary maker, said, "Through the connections with people that Mr. Kubota treasured, he was able to meet the state minister for foreign affairs. I hope he will come back as soon as possible." was