Report: 2 More Japanese Abducted in Iraq

AP Asia ^ | Wed, Apr 14, 2004 | AP Asia

[Eurotwit]

TOKYO - The Japanese government was investigating a news report that two more Japanese had been abducted in Iraq (news - web sites), an official said Thursday.

The Kyodo News service report said an unidentified Japanese organization had received an e-mail saying the two were abducted Wednesday.

The Japanese were possibly on their way to cover the emergency landing of a U.S. military helicopter in a southern Baghdad suburb, the report said, suggesting they were journalists.

A foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government was looking into the report but had not confirmed the reported abduction.

The Kyodo report did not say who sent the e-mail about the kidnappings.

Three Japanese citizens have been held by militants in Iraq since last week. The captors threatened to kill the hostages unless Japan withdrew its troops from southern Iraq, where they are on a humanitarian mission.

But the government has refused to pull its troops out.

[areafiftyone]

Do these idiots really think the Japanese are going to withdraw? They are wasting their time. But the problem here is that the families of the kidnapping victims have been all over Japanese television crying and pleading for them to be let go and protests have been going on in Japan to pull out so the kidnappers know that it is having an effect on the anti-war population in Japan which is practically everyone.

[Credo]

I wonder how the Japanese Army about 1944 would have dealt with this?

[Credo]

I wonder how the Japanese Army about 1944 would have dealt with this?

[Credo]

I wonder how the Japanese Army about 1944 would have dealt with this?

[Steely Tom]

Isn't the taking hostages illegal?

I await the howls of protest from the International Red Cross, the UN, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Medicins Sans Fronteres, etc., etc. Somehow I missed these howls when the first hostages were taken.

(steely)

[Credo]

Sorry about the triple post. A little internet connection hang.

[areafiftyone]

They would have sent a couple of Kamikazi (sp?) pilots over the area and that would be the end of that.

[Credo]

I'm thinking about prior to the kamikazes. Remember Nanking.

[luvbach1]

Those two A-bombs really pacified the Japanese. That is very good to a point.