Efforts under way for release of Japanese kidnapped in Yemen: Hatoyama+

TOKYO, Nov. 17 Kyodo - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Tuesday that Yemeni authorities are making efforts to secure the release of a Japanese engineer kidnapped by tribesmen in the country, expressing hope that the victim would be released soon.

''The Yemeni government, a provincial governor and the interior ministry are in
the middle of holding negotiations (with the kidnappers),'' Hatoyama told
reporters in the evening. ''I'm thankful to the Yemeni government for doing its
utmost.''
Noting that he has been told the victim was unhurt, the prime minister said,
''I'm hoping, praying that he would be released as soon as possible.''
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told an afternoon news conference that
the Yemeni side is making ''maximum efforts'' for the captive's release by
maintaining contact with the kidnappers.
The man has been identified as a 63-year-old resident of Tokyo and an employee
of a Tokyo-based consultancy who has been engaged in an aid project to build
schools in Yemen.
In the evening, Hatoyama drew a comparison with his government's plan to
provide civilian aid for Afghanistan's reconstruction, and said it needs to pay
maximum attention to ensuring safety for personnel who might be sent in.
''The criminals' act (in Yemen) cannot necessarily be applicable to (the
situations in) Afghanistan, but we want to provide large-scale civilian
assistance to the country,'' he said. ''In doing so, we must be certain of
safety, and we need to pay maximum heed to it.''
Japan plans to provide $5 billion in nonmilitary aid to Afghanistan over the
next five years from this year in exchange for ending its mission in the Indian
Ocean to refuel warships supporting U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in the
country.
==Kyodo