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Japan condemns killing of S. Korean in Iraq, sends condolences

Wang

先輩
21 Apr 2004
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Wednesday June 23, 2:43 PM

2ND LD: Japan condemns killing of S. Korean in Iraq, sends condolences

Japan condemned on Wednesday the killing of a South Korean civilian man by militants in Iraq as "intolerable" and offered condolences to the family of the victim.

"There have been a series of contemptible acts in which innocent civilians have become victims, but such acts cannot be tolerated by any means and the government firmly condemns them," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a press conference.

The top government spokesman also expressed "deep sympathies" to the victim's family and related persons as well as the people of South Korea.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, who is currently overseas, sent a message of condolence to South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon over the incident.

"I cannot help but feel deep sadness and anger over the violent death in Iraq of Mr. Kim Sun Il, a national of your country," Kawaguchi said in the message, sent before she embarked on a flight from Beijing to Moscow.

"The unjust act of taking innocent civilians hostage and taking their lives is inexcusable, and we deeply sympathize with the resolute attitude that your government is taking in not yielding to terrorism," Kawaguchi said.

The two foreign ministers met bilaterally Monday in Qingdao, China, where they attended the third Asia Cooperation Dialogue forum the following day. Ban cut short his trip by a day and returned to Seoul on Tuesday to deal with the crisis.

In Tokyo, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa expressed regret over the outcome of the crisis which came despite Japan's cooperation with South Korea, including providing information, to seek an early release of the hostage.

In April, five Japanese were taken captive by militants in Iraq in two separate incidents, but all of them were later released unharmed.

Officials of the South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry confirmed early Wednesday that Kim was executed by his captors in Iraq, following reports by Arabic satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera that the man was beheaded by the militants holding him.

The militant group demanded that South Korea withdraw its military forces from Iraq and not send any additional troops, but South Korea stuck to its decision to send 3,000 troops to Iraq in addition to the 600 already there for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance activities.

Kawaguchi told Ban that Japan hopes to continue working hand in hand with South Korea over measures to fight terrorism and assist in rebuilding Iraq, the officials said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who was in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, for a war memorial service, reaffirmed to reporters his intention to keep Japan's noncombat troops in Iraq to cooperate in the reconstruction aid activities there.

Koizumi said the decision by the South Korean government to continue troop activities in Iraq was one made "in a very agonizing" situation.

When the first hostage crisis involving three Japanese occurred in Iraq, Koizumi rejected pleas by the victims' families to respond to demands by the hostage-takers to withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from the Persian Gulf nation.

Japan has roughly 550 Ground Self-Defense Force members in Iraq to provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance such as providing clean water and medical aid, while an Air Self-Defense Force unit based in Kuwait has been airlifting relief goods to Iraq.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040623/kyodo/d83cid5g0.html
 
it's hypocritical or at least forgetful of Japan that pretends to be ignorant of its own crime.

Japan needs first to step out of Asia before intending to function as a power in the international community
 
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