◆ SpookStack

| Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000300330001-8 LN734-85 A Psychic Student in Japan: (Asaihi Shimbun Weekly) A Public Experiment by the Editorial Department The reason society does not recognize the existence of psychic abilities, is probably because there are too few opportunities to actually observe it. This publication invited third year university student (name untranslated) to. come to the editorial department to take part in a public experiment. Nervousness in the Editorial Department Staff The first experiment was two o'clock in the afternoon of Otober 21, 1983. It was held in the offices of the photography department on the fourth floor of the Asaihi Shimbun Building. First let me tell you a little bit about the general atmosphere in the editorial department. The last time I and two other persons from the editorial department went to the student's house and saw him bend a spoon, the rest of the editorial department were not convinced. One person in the editorial department was convinced that this was a trick of some sort. He could not believe that it was real. Although some people seemed surprised yet convinced by our stories, they still had doubts in their minds. . This is a completely normal reaction. Who could believe that a steel spoon could be bent with just the slightest touch? ‘It might also be said that people are not going to believe in something that runs counter to common scientific knowledge’ without good evidence. As long as we are not too caught up in superstition, it is all right. However, almost everyone has a desire to see this unusual phenomenon. Therefore, we at the editorial department met this day with a mixture of emotions of doubt, curiosity, and hope. : On this day there was an unusually tense atmosphere in the offices on the fourth floor. Before the designated hour of two, all the staff of the editorial department from the editor-in-chief on down were waiting anxiously for the student's arrival. I must frnkly admit that the most nervous were we two who had previously reported his spoon bending, because we were not confident that he would be able to repeat this before such a large group of observers. Slight Tingling of an Electric Shock If he were unable to repeat his feat in front of everyone, everyone in the editorial department would say, "So, this is how it is." -90- Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000300330001-8