Parents, Fellow Journalists Relieved at Yasuda’s Possible Release

October 24, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda's parents and fellow journalists expressed their relief at information that Yasuda may have been freed, after apparently being detained by Islamic extremists since 2015.

Speaking to reporters near their home in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Wednesday, Yasuda's parents talked about the three years their 44-year-old son spent under obviously adverse circumstances.

"I don't know what the situation is, but I'm delighted," Yasuda's mother, Sachiko, 75, said as she dried her tears with a handkerchief.

The parents made over 10,000 paper cranes to wish for their son's safe return.

"There was nothing I could do but pray," the mother said, holding some of the paper cranes in her hand. "I prayed every day."

Yasuda's father, Hideaki, 78, said: "I watched television all night long. We have no other information."

"I just want to see my son doing well," the father said.

Yasuda went missing after entering northern Syria via southern Turkey in June 2015 for reporting activities in the war-torn country. He is known for his active style of covering news on the ground.

Naomi Toyoda, a 62-year-old photo journalist, became acquainted with Yasuda through reporting activities in Iraq in 2003, the year when the Iraq war broke out.

Having entered Iraq as a human shield despite entry restrictions in place at the time, Yasuda wrote reports based on the belief that there was information only available on the scene, according to Toyoda.

Responding to Tuesday's report that Yasuda may have been released and put under protective custody at an immigration facility in Turkey, Toyoda said, "He hanged tough."

Describing Yasuda as a true journalist who can make the most out of a bad situation, Toyoda said, "He will be able to shed light on the situation in Syria and Iraq by writing about what he saw and heard over the past three years."

Among other journalists, Rei Shiba, 43, said he was glad that Yasuda has apparently been released, adding, "I want him to get good rest in Japan now."

In September, Shiba learned from people supporting Yasuda that those involved in negotiations had information about specific moves for his release.

"Three years of not knowing when he was to be freed or to be killed must have been really long," Shiba said. "I want him heal his emotional scars with time and care." Jiji Press