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URGENT: Save Japanese Peace Activists
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Progressive Portal
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Apr 09, 2004 22:36 PDT
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THREE YOUNG JAPANESE HUMANITARIANS CAPTURED, TORTURED IN IRAQ;
CAPTORS THREATEN TO BURN THEM ALIVE IF MILITARY DOESN'T LEAVE
[From Translators United for Peace, Japan]
Three members of Japan's Translators United for Peace (TUP) have been
taken hostage in Iraq by a previously unknown group that threatens to
burn them alive if Japan doesn't withdraw the 550 troops it has
stationed in Iraq.
Japanese peace and justice activists and the families of the hostages
have called on the government to withdraw its military contingent from
Iraq.
The three hostages are Naoko Takato, 34, who was aiding Iraqi children;
freelance reporter Soichiro Koriyama, 32; and Noriaki Imai, 18, who had
planned to look into the effects of depleted uranium weapons.
In harrowing video shown on television stations around the world, the
three captives were seen being subjected to psychological torture as
rifles and sword blades were pressed against their bodies and throats as
they cowered, blindfolded, their backs pressed against the wall of a
small, bare room. They were later shown with their blindfolds removed,
apparently talking and gesturing to their captors. Several armed men
were visible in the background.
In a statement the gunmen, allegedly from an Iraqi group called Saraya
al-Mojahedin (Mojahedin Brigades), threatened to execute the hostages
unless Tokyo withdrew its troops from Iraq. "We tell you that three of
your children have fallen prisoner in our hands and we give you two
options - withdraw your forces from our country and go home or we will
burn them alive and feed them to the fighters," the statement told the
Japanese government.
"You have three days from the date of this tape's airing."
The Sunday deadline has been estimated by some Japanese officials as
being approximately 5 a.m. PDT / 9 p.m . JST / 1300 GMT.
The Japanese government said it would not withdraw from Iraq. But the
hostage crisis threatens to topple the government of Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi, and high-level Japanese diplomats are in Amman,
Jordan, trying to find a way to save the three.
Fears were also growing for two Palestinians, a Canadian, and a Briton
who are also believed to have been abducted. Seven South Korean
missionaries were released after a five-hour hostage ordeal which began
when masked gunmen seized them on a road north of Baghdad.
The Japanese military deployment, unpopular in that country, comes
despite provisions in Japan's constitution that forbid use of military
force and declare war to be illegitimate. The government claims the
deployment is constitutional because the forces are in Iraq on a
humanitarian mission, and are not participating in security or other
military operations. The government is widely expected to soon propose
amendments to weaken or remove the pacifist Article 9 from the Japanese
constitution, written after the country was defeated in World War II.
After shells were fired at the Japanese military encampment in the
southern Iraqi city of Samawa recently, the forces withdrew to their
barracks ceased their reconstruction work outside of the facility. No
injuries were reported in the shellings.
Famous Japanese photographer Takashi Morizumi, whose poignant pictures
from Iraq include images of TUP member Naoko Takato, now held hostage,
issued the statement reproduced below, urging people to pressure the
Japanese government to briing its forces home from Iraq.
Writes another TUP member: "Naoko has taken one-woman activity in
Baghdad from last June, she called it 'Wash the Street-children.' She
has washed their clothes, their hair, their faces and everything.
Especially she has washed their minds, which were harmed by loneliness."
Also shown below is a letter from group of Iraqis who care for orphans
to their "brothers" who have captured the Japanese, pleading for the
safe return of Ms. Takato.
Take Action
-----------------------------------
(1) If you know of some way to communicate support for the hostages from
Muslims in Iraq or elsewhere, please arrange to send such messages via
Al Jazeera and other Arab media or other contacts you may have.
(2) Send faxes or e-mails to the following contacts demanding the
immediate withdrawal of the Japanese troops from Iraq:
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi:
Fax: +81-3-3581-3883
E-mail: koizumi-AT-mmz.kantei.go.jp [change "-AT-" to "@"]
Web: http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/forms/goiken.html
Foreign Minister Kawaguch Yoriko:
Fax: +81-03-5501-8430
E-mail: goiken-AT-mofa.go.jp [change "-AT-" to "@"]
Defense Secretary Ishiba Shigeru:
Phone: +81-3-3502-5174
E-mail: info-iraq-AT-jda.go.jp -or- info-AT-jda.go.jp
[change "-AT-" to "@"]
More Information
-----------------------------------
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1188916,00.html
http://news1.iwon.com/world/article/id/396664|world|04-09-2004::23:45|reuters.html
Morizumi's photos of Naoko Takato with some of the Iraqi children she
has aided (Japanese text):
http://www.morizumi-pj.com/iraq5/08/iraq5-08.html
English version of the above page (variable quality machine
translation):
http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.morizumi-pj.com%2Firaq5%2F08%2Firaq5-08.html&lp=ja_en
STATEMENT FROM PHOTOGRAPHER TAKASHI MORIZUMI
Emergency Statement: Save the Hostages Now!
MS. TAKATO AND TWO OTHER JAPANESE HELD HOSTAGE IN IRAQ
Morizumi Takashi
April 9, 2004
I have occasionally participated in Ms. Naoko Takato's activities to
support street-children in Iraq since last June, while staying at the
same Andalus Hotel she was also staying at. I have covered her
activities and the lives of the street-children since I came to know
them, and have planned to hold a photo exhibition about them. We almost
finished the coverage of the children by the end of March.
Those children were abandoned by their parents but have still survived
on the street, with dust and noise caused by the US tanks as a lullaby,
withstanding air raids. They were hungry for food and love, escaping
from the feeling of loneliness by sniffing chemical thinner. Naoko
looked on these children lovingly, accepting them wholeheartedly. She
completely devoted herself to them. Naoko was a spiritual support for
the street-children. They cherished her ragged photos in their pockets.
They often asked,
"when will Naoko come back?... I will keep waiting until she comes
back."
This hostage crisis just happened when I was waiting to take photos of
her heart-to-heart communications with those children, who were longing
for her to come.
Ms. Takato opposed the dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to
Iraq and insisted that humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the
country should be provided by the NGO. Also, she was very helpful for my
photo exhibitions and lectures about Iraq in her native place, Hokkaido.
The details of this incident have not yet become available. However, the
captors' demand, "the SDF's withdrawal from Iraq" should be fulfilled
immediately. The SDF should be withdrawn regardless of the outcome of
this incident. All responsibility for this crisis must be taken by the
Koizumi administration, which had dispatched the SDF unconstitutionally.
We demand the immediate, total withdrawal of the SDF from Iraq to save
the three hostages! Don't make Japanese civilians the enemies of the
Iraqi people!
Ms. Takato entered Iraq to support the Iraqi children, never having done
anything hostile to the Iraqis. While taking care of those children, she
continued sending the voices of the Iraqis to the Prime Minister's
office. Consequently, she has been an unfavorable person for the Koizumi
administration, who sent the SDF against the will of the Iraqis. Now,
they are about to abandon Ms Takato and the other peace activists to
their fates. Don't allow this to happen!
* Please send faxes or e-mails to the following contacts, to demand the
immediate withdrawal of the SDF ['Japanese Self-Defense Force] from
Iraq:
* Please send faxes or e-mails to the following contacts, to demand the
immediate withdrawal of the SDF from Iraq:
Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro
Fax: +81-3-3581-3883
koizumi-AT-mmz.kantei.go.jp
http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/forms/goiken.html
Foreign Minister Kawaguch Yoriko
Fax: +81-03-5501-8430
goiken-AT-mofa.go.jp
Defense Secretary Ishiba Shigeru
Tel: +81-3-3502-5174
info-iraq-AT-jda.go.jp or info-AT-jda.go.jp
*Translated into English by Mr. Iwakawa and Ms. Marta, translators,
United for Peace, Japan.
STATEMENT FROM A GROUP OF IRAQIS WHO CARE FOR ORPHANS:
By the name of God
Brothers of Saraya Al Mujahedeen
Al Salam Alaikum
God blesses you for what is good for our nation, our prayer for God to
remove this grief from our country.
We wish that you would receive this letter. God knows that it is honest
letter, this letter is for God satisfaction and to inform you, what you
don’t know about your Japanese lady prisoner Nahoko. She is, as we saw
that in Al Jazera station, one of the three Japanese prisoners.
We don’t have any doubt that she and the other two Japanese will have
gratifying care from you. Because our religion order that. And that is
what we learned from our great grand fathers.
We are not writing this letter to evaluate what you have done, or what
you planning to do. And also we are not writing this letter because we
are supporter for coming of Japanese army either they are normal army or
they are protect army to participate in rehabilitation of Iraq as
Japanese Government is saying.
The only purpose of this letter and the photos attached is to let you
know that Nahoko is last person which should be taken as a hostage, in
case you must take hostages.
This Japanese lady was very desirous from May 2003 to be in Baghdad
voluntary and personally. And from that date she is spending her
personal money to feed, clothe and treat the homeless Iraqi children.
Till she spend all money she was saved for herself a long the years. In
the last time she traveled to Japan her planning was to work for one and
half month to make some money and to come back to Iraq to spend it for
Iraqi homeless children. But she made heavy operation, therefore she
couldn’t save enough money able her to bring gifts for the children,
whom they are still waiting for their Japanese mother Nahoko. You took
her as a hostage in the same day that so many people were waiting for
her in Baghdad.
Brothers of Saraya Al Mujahedeen, in behalf of our self and many Iraqi
orphan children, we entreat you to release the three Japanese hostages,
specially Nahoko as she is was content with only bread to feed her self,
while she was buying palatable food for our kids. She is good example
for the love of Japanese people for Iraqi people. If God wishes and you
released those three Japanese you will give Japanese people good chance
to do what we and you want. Japanese people were always in the friend’s
side, in the Iraqi causes. While many of our brothers in religion and
nation were watching only.
The imperative is for God
Al Salam Alaikum
Group of active Iraqi in orphan’s field
9 April 2004
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