A resident of Japan who had been detained in China for her activities in the Falun Gong spiritual movement thanked those who supported her Friday.

Yoko Kaneko, 39, expressed gratitude to the Japanese government and a group of lawmakers for their efforts in pressuring Beijing to release her.

Kaneko is married to a Japanese man and lives in Niigata Prefecture. She returned to Japan on Thursday after her 18-month detention period expired Sunday.