Members of a New Age cult who blocked traffic on a mountain road in western Japan for almost a week began departing Thursday, after police warned they were breaking traffic laws and could be arrested.
The group, Panawave, has become a focus of media attention in Japan since about 30 of its followers camped out along the remote two-lane road in western Gifu prefecture last Friday, obstructing traffic and draping trees with white cloth.
The group's followers say they are seeking sanctuary from electromagnetic waves generated by left-wing guerrillas in Japan who want to destroy their leadership. They claim the cloth neutralizes the effects of the waves.
Earlier this week, authorities in two nearby towns served eviction notices to the group of about 30 people. Representatives of the camp said they could not leave until the end of this week because they were carrying a sick woman who is widely believed to be their guru.
A Panawave spokesman said the caravan was protecting Yuko Chino, 69, a self-proclaimed prophet who preaches a blend of Christianity, Buddhism and New Age doctrines.
The caravan began pulling out Thursday evening, hours after receiving a warning by 300 police officers, who searched their vehicles, said a spokesman for the prefectural police in Gifu, about 170 miles west of Tokyo.
No arrests were made, and it was not clear where the caravan was headed, said the police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Media reports quoted unidentified officers as saying the group was believed headed to one of its bases in the nearby prefecture of Yamanashi.
The caravan came to Gifu after spending almost eight months camping out along a lake in the neighboring prefecture of Fukui, according to police there. That site was also left swathed in white sheets.
According to the group's literature, Chino believes that an undiscovered planet is moving closer to the earth and will cause cataclysmic changes this summer.
There have been no reports of damage or injuries caused by the group, although they have scuffled with reporters at the scene