Japanese PM stands firm on hostage demand
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Japan&#39;s prime minister today refused to bend to demands by militants who have taken a Japanese civilian hostage in Iraq and threatened to behead him unless Tokyo withdraws its soldiers.
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Japan's government said it was trying to confirm news reports that the Islamic militant group of Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi had taken a Japanese citizen hostage in Iraq and threatened to behead him.
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Prime Minister John Howard has stood firm against withdrawing troops from Iraq after unconfirmed reports that two Australians have been taken hostage and would be killed within 24 hours unless Canberra pulls out.
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An armed group in Iraq has taken a Japanese traveler hostage and threatened to kill him unless Tokyo withdraws its Self-Defense Forces troops from the country within 48 hours, government officials said in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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Japan has made last-ditch efforts to secure the release of a Japanese hostage facing execution in Iraq. A Japanese government official says efforts are still being made to free Shosei Koda, 24, but there have been no reports of any progress.
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BAGHDAD - The 48-hour deadline set by a group of Islamic militants for Japan to agree to withdraw its troops from Iraq expired Thursday night, with the group threatening to behead a 24-year-old Japanese hostage if Tokyo ignores its demand.
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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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Shinzo Abe pledges to carry on as Japan's PM, after staking his job on extending Japan's Afghanistan mission.
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Japan won&#39;t yield to terrorism or withdraw its troops from Iraq, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, in response to reports an Iraqi group kidnapped a Japanese man.
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The deadline set by Islamic militants to behead a Japanese hostage in Iraq unless Tokyo pulled its army out of the country expired with no fresh news of the young man's fate.
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The interim Iraqi prime minister Eyad Allawi refused to abide by the demands of the kidnappers of the British hostage Margaret Hassan who is threatened to be killed unless the British government withdraw its forces from Iraq.
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The White House said Wednesday that it would expect Japan to keep supporting US-led military operations in Afghanistan despite the resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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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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A Japanese man taken hostage in Iraq earlier this week has been killed by his abductors after the Japanese government refused to meet their demands to withdraw its troops from the region, Kyodo News agency reported early Saturday.
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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.
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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  said Wednesday he would not withdraw troops from Iraq despite a  threat by a militant group to behead a Japanese hostage within  48 hours unless Tokyo pulled its forces out.