Japanese military activity at base southern Iraq

Описание: (9 Apr 2004)
PLEASE NOTE VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING

1. Various of Japanese troops lifting a concrete block with a crane at Japanese base
2. Mid shot of Japanese armoured vehicle
3. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Khudair Abdel-Sada, Samawah resident:
"The group which kidnapped the Japanese civilians are doing nothing to help Iraq. The Japanese are here to reconstruct, not to occupy the country."
4. Wide pan of crane to Japanese soldier standing by
5. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Vox Pop, Samawah resident (no name given):
"Those people are journalists. They have nothing to do with armed operations. Why don''t the insurgents target American personnel? Those people are reporters. Each country has a lot of journalists. They are reporting news. They should kidnap senior Army personnel not civilians."
6. Wide of one entrance of airbase with sign reading"100 percent ID check"
7. Mid shot of Japanese soldiers standing by a jeep, crane operations on the background

STORYLINE:

Security on the Japanese base in Samawah was strengthened on Friday, after two Japanese aid workers and a photo-journalist were held hostages by an unknown Iraqi militia.

Members of the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) used a crane to lift concrete blocks within the perimeter of the Japanese base on Friday, suggesting a reinforcement of the defensive system of the base.

On Thursday, a video obtained by APTN showed four masked men threatening the blindfolded captives with guns and knives as they lay on the floor of a room with concrete walls.

The hostages included aid workers Imai and Nahoko Takato, both 34, and photojournalist Soichiro Koriyama, 32.

Some residents in Samawah condemned the kidnappings, saying the Japanese were there "to reconstruct, not to occupy the country."

The kidnapping of foreigners pointed to a dangerous new tactic by militants - the use of hostages to pressure U.S. coalition allies in Iraq.

TV pictures aired in the Middle East by the Al-Jazeera satellite network _ and rebroadcast during prime time in Japan _ showed the three Japanese moaning in terror as their black-clad captors held knives to their throats, shouting "God is Great."

The three were reportedly abducted in southern Iraq, but it was not clear when and by whom.

Relatives of the hostages made an emotional plea on Friday to bow to kidnappers'' demands and pull Japanese troops out of Iraq.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has denounced terrorists'' threats to burn alive three hostages and vowed Friday that Japanese troops would stay in Iraq.

U-S Vice President Dick Cheney, who started a tour in Asia which includes Japan, South Korea and China, is due to make a personal appeal to Japanese and South Korean leaders to resist pressure from kidnappers who want foreign troops withdrawn from Iraq.

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