BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Kyodo) - A Japanese Falun Gong follower was detained by Chinese securities authorities after joining a protest and was deported Sunday afternoon, a Japanese Embassy official said.
The follower, identified only as a 30-year-old man from Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, was one of 59 foreign nationals detained after staging a protest against the Chinese government's crackdown on the cult on Thursday at Beijing's Tiananmen Square, according to the official.
Of the 59, 53 were deported on Friday and the Japanese man was among the remaining six.
The man issued a statement during the protest that at least 365 followers have been murdered in the Chinese government's crackdown on Falun Gong, a mixture of Taoist, Buddhist and folk religions. Its followers have been in open conflict with the Chinese government.
Beijing has labeled Falun Gong an ''evil cult'' that destroys the lives of its followers, and outlawed it.