Japan unmoved by hostage threats
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threat by a militant group to behead a Japanese hostage within 48 hours unless Tokyo pulls its forces out. &quot;We cannot tolerate terrorism and we will not give in to terrorism,&quot; Koizumi told reporters on Wednesday.
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Japan&#39;s prime minister, a staunch US ally in Iraq, refused on Wednesday to withdraw Japan&#39;s troops from the country, taking a tough stance in the face of demands by militants threatening to behead a Japanese hostage unless the soldiers leave.
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A rare visit to Japan by a Chinese defense minister has done little to erase mutual suspicion over the Asian rivals' military ambitions, despite his assurances that Beijing poses no threat, Japanese media said on Friday.
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Japan's government was still in the dark  about a Japanese held hostage in Iraq on Thursday, less than 24  hours before a deadline set by his captors, who have threatened  to behead the young man unless Japan withdraws its troops.
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Japan said no member of its military  stationed in Iraq is missing, after a group led by al Qaeda  ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to behead a Japanese  hostage in Iraq if Tokyo did not withdraw its forces from the  country.
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TOKYO: Japan took another step away from its post-World War II pacifism on Friday by ending its decades-old ban on military exports and telling defense planners to regard China and North Korea as potential threats.
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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday Japanese troops would not pull out of Iraq, rejecting a demand by Islamic militants claiming to have taken a Japanese hostage.
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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi says Japan won&#39;t yield to terrorism by withdrawing its troops from Iraq, in response to reports an Iraqi group kidnapped a Japanese
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Japan on Wednesday brushed aside growing pressure from US lawmakers for a fresh apology for Tokyo&#39;s wartime sexual enslavement of an estimated 200,000 women.
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Japan today refused to withdraw its troops from Iraq despite demands by Iraqi militants who have taken a Japanese civilian hostage and threatened to behead him unless the soldiers left.
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Helicopters lifted people to safety and soldiers handed out food and water as more tremors jolted northern Japan Monday, arousing concerns about the possibility
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Japan raced against the clock yesterday to free a young Japanese hostage in Iraq but had little reason for hope less than a day before the deadline set by al-Qaida-linked militants for his killing.
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The crisis is a political challenge for Koizumi, who decided to send Japanese troops to Iraq despite strong public opposition. &quot;We cannot tolerate terrorism and we will not give in to terrorism,&quot; Koizumi told reporters on Wednesday.
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Earlier Tuesday Japan&#39;s Justice Ministry rejected his demand to stay in the country, saying no justification had been found to grant him protection as a political refugee.
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TOKYO, Oct 28  - Japan raced against the clock Thursday to free a young Japanese hostage in Iraq but had little reason for hope hours before the deadline set by al-Qaeda-linked kidnappers for his killing.
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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has said Japan will not pull its troops out of Iraq despite threats by a group led by an al Qaeda ally to behead a Japanese hostage, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.
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Japan&#39;s Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has called for the release of of a Japanese tourist taken hostage in Iraq but says Japan will not &quot;bend to terror.