Beheaded Body of Japanese Hostage Found
 |
James Joyner | Sunday, October 31, 2004 |
Body found confirmed to be the Japanese hostage
The headless corpse found Saturday in Baghdad has turned out to be the Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, who was kidnapped in Iraq last week, Japanâs Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said on Sunday. On Tuesday, a group kidnapped Koda in Iraq and threatened to execute him unless Japan pulls out its forces, but Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Wednesday that the Japanese troops would remain in the country. Machimura told reporters that Koda was identified through fingerprints sent from Japanese Embassy officials to the Foreign Ministry Tokyo. The kidnappers posted a video on a Web site that showed the Japanese hostage wearing a white T-shirt and sitting at the feet of three masked men. One of the captors said in a statement; “We are giving the Japanese government 48 hours in which to withdraw its troops from Iraq, otherwise this infidel will join the others (executed).”
Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sent his condolences to the Japanese hostageâs family, saying that he has a feeling of indignation over the killing. “It is an evil act of terrorism to kill innocent civilians. We feel deep indignation and we can never forgive this terrorist act,” Koizumi said. Koizumi also vowed to keep Japanese troops in Iraq. “We cannot lose to terrorism, we must not yield to brute force. I believe we should continue to support the Iraqi people’s efforts to rebuild their country,” Koizumi told reporters. The United States is urging Koizumi to stand firm and not to bow to any threat. “We strongly condemn this heinous crime. There is no justification for acts like this,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard H. Baker Jr. said in a statement. When asked about what would be done about Japanese forces in Iraq, Machimura said that the government hasnât decided on that yet.
Update (11/2 1125): Zarqawi Releases Beheading Video of Japanese Victim
Rusty Shackleford has the video of the beheading along with some gruesome photos.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Obama Shafts Progressives, Campaign Loyalists
- Not the Great Depression
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Sarah Palin in Demand
- Actors Going on Strike
- Jonesing For An Apology
- Geither at Treasury, Richardson at Commerce
- Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State
- Terrorism Going Away?
- James Jones as National Security Advisor?
Comments are Closed
