Japanese officials are awaiting confirmation that a Japanese freelance journalist who was kidnapped in Syria three years ago has been released.
Jumpei Yasuda has been sporadically in online videos since his capture in 2015 by an al-Qaida affiliated group. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo Wednesday the man identified as Yasuda is at an immigration facility in Turkey, where he will be interviewed by Japanese diplomats to confirm his identity.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was relieved to hear news of Yasuda's release. He and Suga thanked Qatar and Turkey for securing the journalist's release. This is the second time Yasuda was kidnapped while covering the Middle East, having been held hostage for a brief period in Baghdad in 2004.
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