Japan Believes Man in Video is Missing Japanese Journalist

August 1, 2018

Tokyo- Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga suggested the Japanese government's belief on Wednesday that the person appearing in a video circulating online is Junpei Yasuda, a Japanese journalist who went missing in Syria.

"It is the government's greatest responsibility to secure the safety of Japanese citizens," Suga said at a news conference. "We're making the utmost effort to tackle the issue by using as many information resources as possible."

It was learned on Tuesday that the video of a person asking for help who may be the missing Japanese journalist had been posted online.

In the 20-second clip, Yasuda is dressed in an orange garment and positioned in front of two masked men holding rifles.

Yasuda, 44, went missing after he entered northern Syria from southern Turkey in June 2015.

Still and video images of a person thought to be Yasuda emerged in June and July, as well as in October last year. Jiji Press