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Kenji Goto, one of the two Japanese hostages who appeared in an online video posted by the Islamic State extremist group, is a devout Christian and a seasoned journalist known for his vigilance when reporting in conflict zones, according to people who know him.
The other hostage is Haruna Yukawa, who set up what he described as a private military company and traveled to Syria last year to get close to the fighting in the civil war there. He was already known to be in captivity, as he appeared in a video posted online last August in which militants put a knife to his neck.
In the Islamic State video posted Tuesday, a man with a knife threatened to execute Messrs. Goto and Yukawa unless Japan paid a $200 million ransom within 72 hours.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said Yukawa had consulted Goto about how to run his military company. In a photo posted on Yukawa’s blog in July 2014, the two are seen together. The blog said they were in Iraq at the time.
After Yukawa’s capture became public, Goto told his family that he was heading to the Middle East to rescue Yukawa, NHK said.
Goto, a freelance journalist, is known for reporting in hot spots across Africa and the Middle East. He has written books about child soldiers and survivors of the Rwandan civil war.
A Twitter account under Goto’s name shows footage of him reporting early October in Kobani, Syria, where Islamic State was battling Kurdish forces. The Twitter account was last updated on October 23.
Tokyo-based Freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda said he met Goto on three occasions last year to talk about their work, and described him as a cautious journalist who would avoid taking unnecessary risks when reporting in war zones.
“He’s been reporting on Syria since 2011. It’s my impression that he was quite cautious, taking many steps before entering the country,” Yasuda said of Goto. “He wasn’t the type who would jump on to potential scoops if it entailed danger.”
Others who know Goto described him as an experienced journalist who worked hard to portray the horrors of war to Japanese audiences.
Yasuda said Goto spoke good English but only a little Arabic.
Goto is a Protestant who was baptised in 1997, according to his church in Tokyo.
“I believe the last time he came to church was on the last Sunday of August last year,” said Tateo Okuyama, who works at the Denenchofu Church in Tokyo. “Now all we can do is pray.”
In an interview last May with Christian Today, a Christian media outlet, Goto said he reported from conflict zones to let the world know of the hardships endured by people trying to lead regular lives in difficult conditions.
“I work in many harrowing places that could be life-threatening, but I believe God will always help me, in ways I do not know,” he was quoted as saying.
A website for the media company Goto founded says he was born in 1967.
Meanwhile, Yukawa said last year he hoped to work as a mercenary and security contractor in the war zone despite a lack of a previous military experience. The final post on his blog is dated July 21, before his departure for the Middle East. “I’d like to film scenes of myself in combat during this trip,” he said.
In a post in July, he said he felt more comfortable in war zones than in his native country. “By travelling to Syria and Iraq I think I now know why It’s hard to live in Japan,” he said.
“My temperament doesn’t match the period I live in. I’m basically a person from the wartime, prewar years!” he says.
The other hostage is Haruna Yukawa, who set up what he described as a private military company and traveled to Syria last year to get close to the fighting in the civil war there. He was already known to be in captivity, as he appeared in a video posted online last August in which militants put a knife to his neck.
In the Islamic State video posted Tuesday, a man with a knife threatened to execute Messrs. Goto and Yukawa unless Japan paid a $200 million ransom within 72 hours.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said Yukawa had consulted Goto about how to run his military company. In a photo posted on Yukawa’s blog in July 2014, the two are seen together. The blog said they were in Iraq at the time.
After Yukawa’s capture became public, Goto told his family that he was heading to the Middle East to rescue Yukawa, NHK said.
Goto, a freelance journalist, is known for reporting in hot spots across Africa and the Middle East. He has written books about child soldiers and survivors of the Rwandan civil war.
A Twitter account under Goto’s name shows footage of him reporting early October in Kobani, Syria, where Islamic State was battling Kurdish forces. The Twitter account was last updated on October 23.
Tokyo-based Freelance journalist Junpei Yasuda said he met Goto on three occasions last year to talk about their work, and described him as a cautious journalist who would avoid taking unnecessary risks when reporting in war zones.
“He’s been reporting on Syria since 2011. It’s my impression that he was quite cautious, taking many steps before entering the country,” Yasuda said of Goto. “He wasn’t the type who would jump on to potential scoops if it entailed danger.”
Others who know Goto described him as an experienced journalist who worked hard to portray the horrors of war to Japanese audiences.
Yasuda said Goto spoke good English but only a little Arabic.
Goto is a Protestant who was baptised in 1997, according to his church in Tokyo.
“I believe the last time he came to church was on the last Sunday of August last year,” said Tateo Okuyama, who works at the Denenchofu Church in Tokyo. “Now all we can do is pray.”
In an interview last May with Christian Today, a Christian media outlet, Goto said he reported from conflict zones to let the world know of the hardships endured by people trying to lead regular lives in difficult conditions.
“I work in many harrowing places that could be life-threatening, but I believe God will always help me, in ways I do not know,” he was quoted as saying.
A website for the media company Goto founded says he was born in 1967.
Meanwhile, Yukawa said last year he hoped to work as a mercenary and security contractor in the war zone despite a lack of a previous military experience. The final post on his blog is dated July 21, before his departure for the Middle East. “I’d like to film scenes of myself in combat during this trip,” he said.
In a post in July, he said he felt more comfortable in war zones than in his native country. “By travelling to Syria and Iraq I think I now know why It’s hard to live in Japan,” he said.
“My temperament doesn’t match the period I live in. I’m basically a person from the wartime, prewar years!” he says.
