Japan envoy seeks rescue of Iraq hostages
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-10 14:48

A senior Japanese official headed emergency meetings in Amman on Saturday to coordinate efforts to rescue three nationals kidnapped in Iraq, officials said.

A Japanese woman wipes away tears in front the official residence of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during a rally demanding the release of the three kidnapped Japanese in Iraq. [AFP]

Their abductors have threatened to "burn them alive" if Japan does not pull its troops out by a Sunday deadline.

Ichiro Aisawa, senior vice foreign minister, told reporters no effort would be spared by Tokyo to free the hostages, who were snatched by a previously unknown Iraqi group.

"We will try to find every possible way that will help release our people," Aisawa said in the heavily fortified embassy soon after his arrival in the Jordanian city early on Saturday.

Japan was stunned on Thursday when the Iraqi group released a video showing the hostages, blindfolded and with a gun to their heads.

Blindfolded Japanese civilian detainees kneel in front of their captors at an undisclosed location in this image made from video released Thursday, April 8, 2004. [AP]

Diplomats said Aisawa immediately entered back-to-back meetings with a 10-strong emergency task force of senior Japanese diplomats and security officials, including those running the country's diplomatic mission in Iraq.

Aisawa would not say whether any contact had been made with the hostage-takers or if Tokyo knew who was behind the kidnapping.

"This is a very delicate issue and Aisawa said he cannot make any comment over whether he contacted the hostage takers or not as this could jeopardize the safety of our nationals," Susumu Yamashita, second secretary at the Japanese embassy, told Reuters.

"We are collecting information at this stage," he said quoting Aisawa.

The three hostages are aidworker Nahoko Takato, 34, freelance reporter Soichiro Koriyama, 32, and Noriaki Imai, 18, who had planned to look into the effects of depleted uranium weapons. Their whereabouts is unclear.

Although a visit to Iraq to meet members of the U.S. led administration or even negotiate with the hostage-takers was not ruled out, Japanese embassy diplomats said Aisawa's rescue effort would be coordinated from Amman.

For security reasons, many foreign embassies continue to run Iraqi interests from Jordan, a close neighbor of Baghdad.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, facing his toughest political test, has vowed not to pull the troops from Iraq despite appeals from the hostages' families, but some analysts say mishandling the crisis could bring down his government.

Japan has sent some 550 ground troops to the southern Iraqi city of Samawa on a non-combat mission to help rebuild Iraq.

Koizumi, a staunch backer of the U.S.-led war on terror, said on Friday that Japan could not give in to "despicable threats."

The precise deadline set by the kidnappers is not clear, but a Japanese ruling coalition official said it was around 8 a.m. EDT on Sunday.

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