Japanese hostage's body found
2004-10-29 21:41
Tokyo - The body of a Japanese hostage threatened with execution by Islamic militants in Iraq appears to have been found, said a Japanese foreign ministry spokesperson on Saturday.
"The American military in Iraq told the Japanese embassy on Friday afternoon there and early on Saturday, Japan time, that a body that looked like a Japanese had been found," said spokesperson Hatsuhisa Takashima.
"The body had some characteristics similar to Shosei Koda which we had earlier sent to the US military," he said.
Koda, a 24-year-old traveller, had been threatened with execution unless Japan withdrew its troops from Iraq by late on Thursday, a demand Tokyo rejected.
- AFP