Freed Japanese Filmmaker Returns Home from Myanmar

Tokyo, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)--Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota, who had been detained in in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, for about three and a half months, returned to Japan on Friday morning.

After arriving at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda, Kubota, 26, expressed his appreciation for people who worked hard to realize his return.

"There are no words to describe how truly grateful I am," he told reporters after receiving a bouquet of flowers from his supporters.

His supporters who had been praying for his return welcomed Kubota with warm words when he showed up at an arrival lobby shortly after 6:20 a.m. (9:20 p.m. Thursday GMT).

Kubota was detained in July this year when he was filming a protest against Myanmar's military junta in Yangon. He was later given a prison sentence of 10 years in total on charges, including of violating the immigration control law and the law related to electronic communications.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]