Japan Govt Identifies Freed Man as Journalist Yasuda

Antakya, Turkey, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's government has confirmed that a man who was released from militant captivity in Syria on Tuesday and is now in Turkey is Japanese freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda, 44, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Wednesday. The government wants Yasuda to return home as soon as possible after checking his health condition, the Japanese minister told reporters in Tokyo. "Yasuda appears to be in good shape," he added. Yasuda was taken into protective custody at an immigration facility in Hatay province, southern Turkey, after entering the country from Syria. Officials at the Japanese embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara were sent to the facility and identified him as Yasuda on Wednesday. Later in the day, a vehicle apparently carrying Yasuda left the facility and arrived at an airport. Meanwhile, Hatay authorities released a video of Yasuda the same day. "My name is Junpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist," he said in the 20-second footage. "I have been held in Syria for 40 months," Yasuda said, adding "Now, I'm in Turkey, now I'm in a safe condition." The footage was shot Wednesday morning local time, according to the authorities. Qatar, which has been supporting rebel groups in Syria, is believed to have brokered negotiations on the release of Yasuda, sources familiar with the situation said. "I want to tender my cordial thanks for the tremendous cooperation from Qatar and Turkey" for the release of Yasuda, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday, while showing his government's intention to speed up work for his early return home. Abe phoned Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to conveyed his appreciation. The Qatari leader told Abe that it is natural for his country to offer cooperation to Japan, a friend of Qatar. With influence among Islamic extremists, Qatar offered support for the release in May 2016 of a Spanish journalist who was believed to have been held with Yasuda. Yasuda was apparently captured by militants soon after entering Idlib in northern Syria from Antakya, Hatay, on foot in June 2015 for reporting activities. In March 2016, a video of a man believed to be Yasuda was posted on the Internet for the first time. Since then, more videos and images apparently showing Yasuda were released online. In a video posted in July this year, a man who seemed to be Yasuda called for help, claiming that he was in a very poor condition. It remains unknown whether ransom money was paid for freeing Yasuda. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has denied that the Japanese government had made a ransom payment. But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group, has argued that a massive ransom was paid for the release of Yasuda. The confirmation of the release of Yasuda came after Suga told a hastily called press conference in Tokyo Tuesday night that a man, highly likely to be Yasuda, was released the same day. The top Japanese government spokesman said that the information came from the Qatari government. END