From IHT...
Japan to send envoy to seek further help over kidnapping of Japanese man
TOKYO: A top Japanese envoy is set to travel to Iran next week to seek further support by Iranian authorities to secure the release of a Japanese man kidnapped in that country, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
Senior Vice-Foreign Minister Itsunori Onodera is to visit Tehran on Oct. 16-19 to ask Iranian government officials to step up their effort in the rescue of the 23-year-old Japanese man kidnapped in Iran, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters.
The man, whom Japanese media identified as college senior Satoshi Nakamura, was traveling alone in Iran's lawless area bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The case surfaced Monday when the Japanese Embassy notified Tokyo after receiving telephone calls from Nakamura.
The captive had been confirmed alive as of Wednesday night, when he last contacted the embassy, officials said.
Komura on Wednesday spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Monouchehr Mottaki, seeking his cooperation in the case. Iranian authorities have a general idea about the captors' identity and location, though details were withheld due to safety concerns.
The captive told embassy officials he was kidnapped Sunday by an armed group and that he was allowed to telephone his family in Japan.
He was believed to have entered Iran from Pakistan and was kidnapped on his way to an ancient fort in Iran's southeastern Kerman province.
Komura said his deputy's trip to Iran planned next week does not mean a deadlock in the rescue effort.
"The case could make a sudden breakthrough, or get prolonged. We shouldn't be too optimistic or pessimistic," Komura said.
Authorities suspect Nakamura was kidnapped by the same group that had abducted two Belgian tourists in August, Kyodo said. The pair were taken while traveling from the historical city of Bam to Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province on the Pakistani border. Both have been released.
Twelve Iranians were also kidnapped by bandits in August. Pakistani security forces succeeded in setting the hostages free after clashing with the gunmen.
Iran has blamed kidnappings of foreigners in the area on criminals and drug smugglers, and foreigners are urged to be cautious when traveling there.
The region has also been hit by explosions targeting Iranian troops, blamed on militants of Iran's minority Sunni Muslim population. Tehran accuses the United States of backing the militants to destabilize the country.
