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TOKYO – Jumpei Yasuda, a Japanese freelance journalist who went missing in Syria in 2015, was released from his abductors on Tuesday, according to Japanese government officials.
Yoshihide Suga, Secretary General of Japan's Cabinet, told Qatari officials that Mr. Yasuda had been released and was in a Turkish immigration facility in Antakya. The Japanese authorities confirmed his safety on Wednesday.
"We hear that his state of health is good at first," said Taro Kono, Japanese Foreign Minister, about Yasuda on Wednesday afternoon. "After the medical attachmented confirms his health problems, we want him to come home as soon as possible.
Yasuda, 44, was reportedly taken hostage by Front Nusra, now known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a group known to capture foreigners for ransom.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on NHK, a Japanese broadcaster, that he was "relieved to hear the news of Mr. Yasuda's release".
Suga told reporters that Japan had not paid ransom or negotiated directly with the militant group.
"The Japanese government has made every effort possible, calling for the cooperation of the countries concerned, such as Qatar and Turkey, and making full use of the various information networks," he said.
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham declared his affiliation to al-Qaeda in 2013, but says he is no longer connected. The state department declared it a terrorist group in 2012 and renewed its designation this year.
In July, Japanese TV channels broadcast a video in which Mr. Yasuda spoke to the camera against a black background.
"I hope all my family is fine," Yasuda said in the video. "I want to see you."
Before that, he had been last seen in a video in 2016, followed by a photo two months later that showed him holding a handwritten note that said in Japanese: "Please, help -we. This is the last chance. "
Mr. Yasuda had already been taken hostage. In 2004, he spent three days in captivity when he and several Japanese citizens were captured in Iraq, but they were not warmly welcomed when they returned. Critics said it was "Japan's shame" that "caused trouble" for everyone, and the government said it would charge them for their plane ticket.
He said at the time that the stress of his return was greater than that of his captivity. He had quit his job in a regional newspaper to talk about Iraq.
"We have to check for ourselves what the Japanese government is doing in Iraq," Yasuda said in 2004. "It's the responsibility of Japanese citizens, but it seems like people are leaving everything to the government."
Sachiko Yasuda, Yasuda's mother, told NHK on Wednesday that she had folded nearly 10,000 origami paper cranes since her disappearance, at least once a day.
"I could not stay idle," she said. "I did not stop folding the cranes, praying for safety."
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