Iraqis threaten to behead Japanese hostage

TOKYO -- Japanese government officials scrambled Wednesday to secure the release of a 24-year-old Japanese hostage, Shosei Koda, in Iraq without bowing to the kidnappers' demand for a pullout of Japanese troops within 48 hours. Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi told U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker on the phone that Japan has no plans to withdraw its troops, and the U.S. envoy expressed support for the Japanese policy, according to the Foreign Ministry. Japanese officials were apparently dismayed that Koda had ignored an advisory against visiting the conflict-torn country. Posted by Editor at October 28, 2004 06:10 PM