The families of three Japanese nationals kidnapped in Iraq tearfully begged the government to pull its troops out (AFP)
Terrorism: it works! Now it's the families of the Japanese kidnapped in Iraq who are asking the Japanese government — begging, in fact — to behave like Spain and get their troops out of Iraq, so that they can have their loved ones back.
My heart goes out to these people. I can only dimly imagine the horrors they must be experiencing while those they love are at the mercy of these heartless, godless thugs. But the lesson of history is unanimous on this point: if the Japanese give in to them, they will not be satisfied. They will be back for more, again and again. The Spanish appeasers are already experiencing this.
TOKYO (AFP) - The families of three Japanese nationals kidnapped in Iraq and threatened with execution, tearfully begged the government to pull its troops out of the country as Tokyo reiterated there would be no withdrawal.Seven relatives of the three hostages, whom gunmen are threatening to burn alive unless Japan pulls its troops out of Iraq within three days, flew to Tokyo to plead with government officials for a military withdrawal.
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and other officials met them for about 50 minutes, assuring that the government would do its utmost to rescue them, while stopping short of responding directly to their request for a troop withdrawal.
The meeting followed the broadcast of harrowing television footage showing the three Japanese in captivity, surrounded by masked militants from a group calling themselves the "Mujahedeen Brigades".
"Please bring back the three unharmed. If circumstances allow, I ask (the government) to withdraw the Self-Defense Forces (military)," one family member was quoted by Jiji Press as telling Kawaguchi.
Another family member asked in desperation: "I want you to solve this now. Why can't the Self-Defense Forces withdraw?," according to Jiji.
Japan has deployed some 550 troops to the southern Iraqi city of Samawa for humanitarian work, despite widespread opposition on the grounds the move violated the country's post-war pacifist constitution.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the hostage crisis began, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed Friday Japan would not pull troops out of Iraq.
"We must not yield to terrorists' foul threats," Koizumi said. "There is no plan" to withdraw troops from Iraq, he said, adding the government would "do our utmost so that they (kidnap victims) will be released immediately."
He was repeating the line taken by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda on Thursday after news of the kidnapping emerged.
In Washington, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld welcomed Japan's immediate resolve to keep troops in Iraq.
"Clearly, that is a good, sound decision and it's appreciated," he said, as Australia also urged Japan not to bow to the demands from gunmen.
Analysts said Koizumi had no choice but to adopt a hardline stance.
"If Japan gives into threats, both extremists and international society will think Japan is soft on terrorism," said Matake Kamiya, professor of security at the National Defence Academy. "Japan's image as a nation state is at stake."
Excellent post! You're spot on: terrorism, it works!!! It's difficult to fight the cowards who plant bombs on trains, who hide behind women and children, who kidnap civilians, who send their children and their sisters to blow themselves up!
Dear Mr. Koizumi, please don't follow Senor Zapatero! If you bow to the demands of terrorists, you will create fresh new ground on which these cowards will thrive.
Whilst I in no way think Japan should pull out its troops from Iraq because of this incident, surely we can understand the families state of mind and requests at this time? Imagine seeing your son or daughter, or mom or dad in the hands of these monsters, putting machetes to their throats - threatening to burn them alive (which I have no doubt they'll do) I dont think I'd be thinking straight either. Everything in me would desire the safety of my loved one.
Being able to think straight though, No Japan shouldn't give in to their demands, obviously.
If they did do and Japan did pull out, I have no doubt these monsters would STILL kill these people.
You cant negotiate with terrorists.
My sympathies are with the families, I cant begin to imagine the turmoil they must be in.
I would be thinking straight enough to ask the President to use "THE BOMB" on any and all Islamic terrorist locations. Not very straight I guess … On second thought I might suggest that we load a C5 transport with pig fat and guts and start circling over Mecca. We then promise to completely dump the load on the Kaba if these animals don't stop their atrocious activities. Such pollution of there holiest site would prevent the Hadj and then non of them can ever go to heaven again. They have to do Hadj and they dare not be defiled with pig. The covering of Jihad crazed Shahidim with pig fat after death has stopped them in the past. Why not do it today. Fight their religion with their religion and we will win.
MGM
I personally take my hat off to Japan because they stated that they will not pull out of Iraq. I respect them deeply for this, and thank them. God please bless these hostages, and free them from these smelly, filthy, brown toothed, brainwashed, chicked shit sons of whores.
D.C.
MGM - great post!! That I think would be the way to do it. We must use their ideology against them-or we will loose this struggle. I am all for PIG FAT on the Hadj.
As for the Japanese, it is truly unfortunate that those hostages are being held and their lives being threatened, and no doubt those families are going through an immense amount of anguish. But if Japan was to pull out because of three deaths, what kind of message would that be sending the terrorists!?? Exactly - TERRORISM WORKS! We must be willing to sacrifice - even sacrifice lives in order to defeat terrorism.
The invasion of Normandy in WWII was not for the faint of heart, nor for those who would shrink in the face of the ultimate sacrifice for their country and their countrymen - nor is this war on terror!
I have sympathy for the families.
Unfortunately the vile news organs which
comprise the Western media ( especially TV news)
will use these poor families to demoralize
the war effort.
Frankly, the gov't should actively censor the
news - when it can.
This story could very well be a hoax. The persons "kidnapped" seem to also belong to anti-war groups in Japan.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1113742/posts
(message #8 at lgf)
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=10571_Hang_On_Japan#comments
d.c.
koizumi the prime minister said that japan will not leave iraq... the opinions of the japanese people might be a different thing. and theres is what matters not the leaders.
You've got to be kidding, right? You're actually citing Normandy as an example of sacrifice to the Japanese?
Read Korechika Anami's speech during the first surrender discussions in the Japanese cabinet after Hiroshima. While I can't remember the exact wording, it was about an all-out fight against the Americans in the Japanese homeland, a nation utterly destroying itself in a hopeless battle to repel an overpowering invader and leaving only the name "Japan" behind as a memory of their race. The army at the time was trying to convince the Prime Minister that Japan could withstand several more Hiroshimas by wearing "white clothing!"
We crushed Japanese militarism, and forbade them from having an army (probably with damn good reason in light of the havoc they wrought in China and the Philippines as well as against our own troops). As a result, this is not a nation that has any experience, in most peoples' lifetime, of overseas casualties. This is a hell of a lot more complicated in Tokyo than "giving in to terrorism."
Anyone under America's "Nuclear Umbrella" should be armed, manned and forbidden to appease terrorism. Joseph, I understand that the people have the voice, but there were only hundreds protesting out of 150 million people.
Joseph, no matter what we all believe, these bastards want us dead.....we have to scrape them from the planet.
What I'm saying Jaundice is that they are going to need to sacrifice - my emphasis is not on Normandy or "overseas casualties". My emphasis is on the need for sacrifice in this war on terror.
Do you not see that?
http://urthshu.netfirms.com/porkofwar.htm
Pig guts?!? Sure why not!
reports that i heard is that the turnout was more like in the multiple 1000's you really are blinding yourself. every day that this goes on and if more mosques get attacked even if there are fighters inside it will just enrage the populace more and more. i know that you have no respect for these people but there is 24million people who live in iraq and they are humans just like you
The ball is in the kidnapper's court. We will have to wait and see if this is a legitimate kidnapping or a sham. It could be that the hostages started this as a means of forcing Japan out of Iraq and the kidnappers seriously intend to kill them if Japan doesn't pull out. Maybe the hostages intend to offer themselves as human sacrifices in an act of seppuku to help end the war. Regardless of why this is being done, if the Iraqis kill these people it will harden the civilized people of the world against Iraq and Islam. The fools are dooming their cause and playing right into our hands.
Exactly what do you disagree with then? For Japan, "sacrifice" = "overseas casualties." And that's something that the nation hasn't had, to my knowledge, in almost sixty years. In fact, they've been explictly forbidden to, and transformed from a country which venerated military sacrifice above all into one which is virtually pacifist in mentality.
I understand what you're saying, but I don't think you're attempting at all to understand what is happening in Japan. It is, as I said, a lot more complicated than "don't give in to terrorists." Had they been killed in regular combat, say, in Afghanistan, the same outpouring would be happening.
These Japanese hostages may have gone to Iraq with siome illusion about helping the poor Iraquis fight off the bad Americans.
Looks like now they're being held by a bunch of crazies who don't give a damn why they entered Iraq. They are now pawns in the hands of fanatics.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions?
I sure hope they get out alive, but it doesn't look promising.
Mike H
These 3 Japanese are lefty do-gooders, but I doubt very much that they put themselves up as "fake" hostages.
That woman is getting raped left and right around the clock (the guys too probably). You can bet on it.
These savages only understand brute force.
I would give them the following warning:
for each hostage killed,we will eliminate 1000 of your people, and 5 mosques.
For the 3 japanese hostages,we will eliminate 3000 people and 15 mosques,and so forth.
In less than a week there would be zero casualties in Iraq,i guarantee.
People of all nations on this planet are being held hostage by the religion of devil,ISLAM.
The summer olympics are almost compromised because of fears of terrorism,people are afraid to travel by plane,by bus or by train,afraid of living in tall buildings,etc.
Enough is enough.
The civilized world should put a stop to this.
Yes,muslims are over one billion,but so what?!
If they need to be stopped and if half of them must be eliminated in order for the world to have peace,then so be it.
And if half is not enough,then may be three quarters will do it.
And if all of them must be eliminated for this planet to be a better and safer place,then that is what the civilized world should do and i hope it will be done.
Joseph:
Here is the link to an interesting article about Fallujah, and the consciousness of the people there:
http://victorhanson.com/index.html
The biggest 'sin' of liberals is naivite; the naive sense that we all think the same, and have the same basic sense of values. While that may be true in a great many areas, it does not cover all the bases.
QUESTION:
how could a student of history best learn you how to understand the mind of a person living in the medieval ages?
ANSWER:
Talk to just about any inhabitant of Fallujah, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Afghanistan, the Arab muslim world.
Mike H
Regardless of why this is being done, if the Iraqis kill these people it will harden the civilized people of the world against Iraq and Islam.
From the above accounts, you overestimate the Japanese ...
Wow, I just stumbled onto this site, and can't believe how way off base you people are! I am an English teacher and Noriaki Imai was one of my students at the language school where I teach. He's 18 years old and just graduated from high school. He's an amazing kid who has been working to research about depleted urnanium shells left by Americans in Iraq. I am American, by the way, but did not agree to this war in the first place, nor when Japan sent its SDF.
It is so easy for you to sit behind your computer in the comfort of your homes and dismiss this situation and say, "we have to sacfifice lives sometimes." How appalling! I am here in Sapporo, where people are so incredibly upset, and my school is holding moments of silence everday. It makes you realize how real this is. When I found out Imai was one of the hostages a lump formed in my throat and I was in disbelief. You have no right to make assumptions about these people's lives; you know nothing about them or the pain we are in here in Japan.
There is one rule that must be defended by a democratic society at all costs, and that is, that it makes and follows decisions made by democratic processes. Giving into threats made by terrorist groups means that a handful of fanatics willing to kill for their cause will control the society and become its de facto tyrant. I am relieved that my government and its people have finally become strong and mature enough to accept the sacrifice. In the 1970s, Japan has given in twice to threats made by the Japanese Red Army, releasing its members and even giving them 16,0000,0000 yens. There is no denying that this money went into funding the notorious activities of the JRA. Japan has changed a great deal since then. The majority of the Japanese people stand behind the government's decision to keep the Self Defense Forces in Iraq. Even polls conducted by the leftist media could not deny this. Of course, our determination may falter once we actually see the hostages killed.
(continued from above)
I personally think this whole situation is fishy. I think that the cool response they are receiving from the Japanese media is a strong indication that the government knows something, as well as the media. No normal TV programs have been canceled to air special programs, which is incredible considering the gravity of this incident. Furthermore, the attitudes of the families of two of the hostages (Mr. Imai and Ms. Takato) are not making the situation any better. Instead of acknowledging and apologizing for the reckless decisions of their children/sister for having gone to Iraq, they are demanding (not pleading) that the government withdraw its troops. Ms. Takato's sister condemned Koizumi for considering a rescue mission by the special forces of the US. She even threw in a demand for the government to make the US withdraw its troops, although no such inferences were made in the message from the terrorists at that point. Their anti-US anti-government-activist attitudes have turned many around me against them and have cast doubts as to the status of the hostages, including my husband who had initially reprehended me for even suggesting a hoax theory. The messages from the terrorists also indicate their puzzling understanding of the Japanese society and include statements and demands that would only be meaningful to a Japanese activist group. One commentator on a TV program summed it up in his statement, "How curious that the demands of the terrorists, the hostage, and the families should coincide so perfectly." If a Japanese group had coordinated this situation, it will surely be a great embarrassment to us, but at least the hostages will not be in danger. (Unless the Japanese Red Army is involved - they have no qualms about killing their comrades, much less hostages.)
(Continued again)
And to JB in Sapporo, I think the train bombing in Spain has proven beyond doubt that we are all vulnerable. Or might you be implying that the people here are social degenerates who never step outside their homes? The three were fully aware of the danger of going to Iraq, and one has to be responsible for his actions. What appalled me initially was the fact that no adult was sane enough to stop an 18-year-old boy (a minor by Japanese law) from going to Iraq now to do research on depleted uranium bombs so that he could publish a picture book. What bothers me now is the fact that since our constitution forbids our Self Defense Forces from engaging in active combat outside Japan, we may have to ask the US to risk the lives of its men to save the lives of these reckless Japanese. I can only hope that the three will have the decency to appreciate the efforts and sacrifice of the US servicemen, regardless of their ideologies.
BTW, I misplaced the commas in "16,0000,0000" above. It should be 1,600,000,000 yens. Sorry.
Excuse me Reiko, are you really even from Japan? The U.S. recklessly forced Japan to enter a war it did not start! You sound like a complete sheep, a puppet of the conservative American right who had less than auspicious reasons for going to war in the first place. Please, you don't even understand American politics. Imai was an 18 year old kid trying to help in a situation where no one else is. He was really an amazing student, definitely not a sheep like you're being. You say lets follow the U.S. in whatever it does? America is putting innocent civilians in danger by the uranium and here is a brave 18-year-old trying to shed light on a problem ignored by everyone else. Why don't you think for yourself rather than repeat propaganda from an ultra-nationalist Japanese government. The Japanese hostages did nothing wrong. The only reason Japan is supporting America is for oil not for some altruistic purpose. So Reiko, you use oil, that makes you just as reckless, not to mention selfish.