Summary
In July, Jumpei Yasuda has been seized by the jihadist group al-Nusra Front. It is a party opposing the government in Syria, allied to al-Qaeda. In May 29th, a new photo which he holds a board saying “Please help me. This is my last chance.” was posted online. And Japan said a man in that photo is Mr. Yasuda and it was doing everything it could to help him. If the government did not negotiate, Mr. Yasuda would be passed to Islamic State, and would be beheaded like Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa in last year.
Opinion
I think what Mr. Yasuda has been seized by jihadist group al-Nusra Front is inevitable, because the journalist is the job which going to all over the world to interview anyone, heedless of danger. So, the journalist like Mr. Yasuda should go to dangerous area on his own responsibility.
It is so difficult for Japanese government to negotiate. If the government negotiates, an armed group like jihadist group al-Nusra Front and IS will seize more Japanese and use them for self-serving propaganda. In contrast, if the government doesn’t negotiate, the government will be criticized because Japan had not done enough to save him.