Police clarify identity of Japanese man abducted in Philippines

Police clarify identity of Japanese man abducted in Philippines+

MANILA, July 18 Kyodo -
Police on Sunday clarified the identity of a 63-year-old Japanese man who was
abducted three days ago on a remote island in the southern Philippines.
According to the victim's Japanese passport, his name is Toshio Ito, and he is
from Hiroshima, Japan, the police said.
He was earlier identified by the name of Amer Katayama Mamaito. The reason for
the discrepancy in the names was not immediately clear.
The police said at least 10 armed men abducted Ito around 1 p.m. on Friday in
the village of Bangkilay in the Pangutaran group of islands in the Sulu
archipelago.
The police learned from Ito's neighbors in Sulu that Ito has been living in
Sulu for over five years, and that he runs a herbal clinic in Zamboanga City on
Mindanao island.
The police also gathered that Ito has been engaged in treasure hunting in the
archipelago.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The Japanese Embassy in Manila has yet to issue an official statement on Ito's
abduction, the latest in a string of kidnap-for-ransom cases in the area, which
is known as a haven for a kidnap-for-ransom group called the Abu Sayyaf.
==Kyodo
2010-07-18 22:33:16