• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Monday, June 23, 2025
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Democracy at Risk Media Freedom

Japanese Journalist Kidnapped in Syria Reportedly Free

Ivy Kaplan by Ivy Kaplan
10/23/18
in Media Freedom, Middle East
Japanese freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda in captivity.

This undated picture released by Japan's Jiji Press news agency May 30, 2016 , taken at an undisclosed location, shows Japanese freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda in captivity. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A man believed to be Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who went missing in Syria three years ago, has been released, the Japanese government said Tuesday.

“Given various information, we believe that the person is highly likely to be Mr. Yasuda,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Japanese officials are working to confirm Yasuda’s identity after receiving information from Qatar that Yasuda is at an immigration facility in Antakya, Turkey, near the Syrian border.

According to Suga, Yasuda is being protected by Turkish authorities until his identity is confirmed. His wife has also been notified.

Yasuda originally went missing in 2015 after entering Syria from Turkey to report on Syria’s civil war. He was reportedly held by the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group formerly part of the al-Nusra Front.

The group demanded $10 million in ransom for Yasuda’s release. Whether or not any ransom payments were made to free Yasuda remains unclear, although the Japanese government has refused to pay the ransoms of hostages in the past.

Yasuda has made rare appearances in the media while held hostage over the last three years.

In 2016, a photo emerged showing Yasuda in an orange jumpsuit holding up a sign saying “Please help me,” and “This is the last chance.”

Yasuda also appeared in a video, dated Oct. 17, 2017. In the footage he says in English that he is “fine” and tells the camera “Don’t forget me” and “Don’t give up (on securing my release).”

At the time, the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Yasuda’s capture and urged for his immediate release.

“We join in solidarity with journalists from around the world in calling for the immediate and safe release of Jumpei Yasuda,” said CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, Sherif Mansour. “We implore his captors to release him immediately.”

The International Federation of Journalists issued similar sentiments, stressing the bravery of Yasuda in risking his life to document the Syrian conflict.

“International reporters like Yasuda are the ones who are informing the world about the suffering of the Syrian people and their yearning to live in dignity and peace,” Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ General Secretary, said. “We urge his kidnappers to let him go back to his family and friends.”

Syria’s Neighbors Fear Humanitarian Catastrophe as Assad Moves to Regain Idlib

Share3Tweet
Ivy Kaplan

Ivy Kaplan

Related Posts

A Syrian government flag flies above the rubble in the neighbourhood of Hajar al-Aswad near Yarmouk refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria
Middle East

UN Security Council Convenes Over Situation in Syria

by Staff Writer with AFP
December 9, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping
World

China Announces ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Syria

by Staff Writer
September 22, 2023
Syrian rescuers and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building, in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023. Syrian rescuers (White Helmets) and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building
World

Quake Kills Over 1,200 Across Turkey, Syria

by Staff Writer
February 6, 2023
Bashar Assad
Middle East

Syria Frees 60 Prisoners in Presidential Amnesty: Monitor

by Staff Writer
May 3, 2022
US Syria raid
Middle East

ISIS Chief Blows Himself Up During US Raid in Syria

by Staff Writer
February 3, 2022
Syrian colonel trial
World

Germany Convicts Syrian Ex-Colonel in ‘Historic’ Torture Trial

by Staff Writer
January 13, 2022
Next Post
A demonstrator waves a Bosnian flag

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Forever Divided Nation?

Children in a migrant caravan

For Migrant Caravan's Children, a Long Trek to a Murky Dream

Recommended

An Iranian protester

Iran’s Nuclear Program: From Its Origins to Today’s Dispute

June 23, 2025
Protesters and police clash during the “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 2025.

US Appeals Court Allows Trump Control of National Guard in LA

June 20, 2025
Donald Trump

Fact vs. Fiction: The Trump Administration’s Dubious War on Reverse Discrimination

June 18, 2025
Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the sky over Beirut, Lebanon, on June 14, 2025. Iran launched multiple missiles toward Israeli targets, triggering interception attempts above several regional capitals, including Beirut.

Israel-Iran Conflict: Latest Developments

June 18, 2025
Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
An Iranian walking in front of a wall painting of the Iranian flag in Tehran

How Much Damage Has Israel Inflicted on Iran’s Nuclear Program?

June 16, 2025

Opinion

Donald Trump

Fact vs. Fiction: The Trump Administration’s Dubious War on Reverse Discrimination

June 18, 2025
Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
A Black Lives Matter mural in New York City.

Fuhgeddaboudit! America’s Erasure of History

April 2, 2025
Bust of Deputy Rubens Paiva in the Chamber of Deputies

Democratic Brazilians Are Still Here

March 18, 2025
A woman from Guatemala

Dispatch From Central America

January 28, 2025
US President Donald Trump

Dear Trump Supporters: Is This the America You Wanted?

January 28, 2025
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post