JAPAN: THE JAPAN BRANCH OF THE RAELIAN SECT IS WAITING FOR THE BIRTH OF THE CLONED INFANT

Record ID: 550581

  • Title: JAPAN: THE JAPAN BRANCH OF THE RAELIAN SECT IS WAITING FOR THE BIRTH OF THE CLONED INFANT
  • Date: 21st January 2003
  • Summary: CU RAELIAN MOVEMENT HOMEPAGE
  • Embargoed: 5th February 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Quirky,People,Science
  • Reuters ID: LVAVOEUC531QGA1Z1J6AY715GFA
  • Story Text: The Japan branch of a group that believes the human race was created by aliens is waiting eagerly for the birth of the third infant the group claims to have cloned -- a Japanese -- which they say will be born this week.
    The Raelian sect says it currently has 55,000 members in 84 countries around the world and 6,000 of them are Japanese.
    That makes the Japan Raelian Movement (JRM), based in Tokyo, the largest following for any individual country.
    On Sunday (January 19), about a hundred JRM members celebrated in the streets ahead of the birth of what the sect says will be their third cloned baby.
    The infant was due to be born on Monday (January 20) at a secret location outside Japan as cloning is banned there.
    Wearing rabbit costumes and holding dolls, banners and posters welcoming the birth, Japanese Raelians paraded around central Tokyo under the watchful eye of the police.
    "The Japanese boy which will be born was formed using cells taken from a boy who died in an accident. We have the cells so it will be easy to conduct a DNA test. I would be happy if the first person to be proved a clone is Japanese,"
    said JRM representative Hideaki Numakura (pron. HEE-DEH-AH-KEE NOO-MAH-KOO-RAH).
    The group announced the birth of what it called the world's first human clone to an American woman on December 27.
    Since then, there has been a claim of a second birth to a Dutch woman.
    The sect's claim to have created two human clones has been widely dismissed by the scientific community, with many leading scientists branding it a hoax.
    Numakura said since the births were announced, more and more people have expressed interest in joining the sect which believes the human race was created by aliens.
    Religion does not play a big part in the lives of many Japanese, many of whom are familiar with the idea that there could be life in outer space from cartoons and films about space.
    "Unlike other people who have firm beliefs, it is very easy for the Japanese to accept the Raelian movement. Also, the Japanese have a keen interest in UFO's. There have been many UFO sightings since 1945. I think this is also an underlying factor," Numakura said on the reason why so many Raelians are Japanese.
    On the streets, some people agreed with Numakura.
    "I think people are awed by outer space, what is out there and what sort of people live there," said one woman.
    "People abroad stand firm in their beliefs but the Japanese are distracted by what they see or hear, that is characteristic of the Japanese," added self-employed Eiichi Ohkuma (Pron. AY-EE-CHEE OH-KOO-MAH).
    But others said it was not a matter of curiosity or that the Japanese are liberal.
    "With politics and the economy stagnant, people feel that they need something they can believe in and escape from reality," said Masahiko Maeda, a company employee.
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