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No word on fate of hostages in Iraq
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Noriaki Imai
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Japan's Iraq hostage crisis entered its sixth day April 14 with no news of the fate of three civilians being held by militants who had threatened to kill them unless Japan withdrew its troops from the country.
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Soichiro Koriyama
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Government officials were saying little after early reports suggesting the three would be released proved unfounded. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has insisted he will not withdraw Japan's 550 troops in Samawah despite the militants' threat to kill the hostages if the mission was not abandoned.
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Nahoko Takato
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The three -- Noriaki Imai, 18, a free-lance writer; Soichiro Koriyama, 32, a free-lance photojournalist; and volunteer worker Nahoko Takato, 34 -- were being held by a group named Saraya al-Mujahedin (Mujahedin Brigades).
The hostages were taken amid a spate of kidnappings in Iraq, with more than 40 foreigners from at least 12 countries reportedly abducted.
The Japan Times Weekly: April 17, 2004
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