NAGANO, Japan, April 26 (UPI) -- Five men were arrested Saturday at the Olympic torch relay in Nagano, Japan, as protesters demonstrated against the Chinese crackdown in Tibet, officials said.
Kyodo news service reported those arrested tried unsuccessfully to disrupt the torch relay.
"Our security duty for the Beijing Olympic torch relay finished all right. I would like to thank the citizens for their understanding and support and all the people related to the matter from bottom of my heart,'' said Takashi Ishii, head of the Nagano prefectural police.
As the torch made its way through the city, Kyodo said human rights activists decrying the Chinese government's treatment of the Tibetans clashed with pro-China demonstrators, who echoed the governments claims that the Tibetans are seeking to break away from Chinese rule.
Japanese runner Mizuki Noguchi, who won the gold in the Athens Summer Games in 2004, was the final runner in the torch relay. She said she was "praying for peace" while running.
After leaving Japan, the torch moved to Seoul.
