Akihiko Saito

Akihiko Saito (斎藤昭彦, Saitō Akihiko, January 5, 1961 – May 9, 2005) was a Japanese security specialist adviser who was taken hostage by the Jaish Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq in 2005.[1]

Akihiko Saito
Akihiko Saito in the mid 1980s when he was with the French Foreign Legion's 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment.
Born(1961-01-05)5 January 1961
Japan
Died9 May 2005(2005-05-09) (aged 44)
Iraq
Cause of deathGunshot wounds sustained in a Jaish Ansar al-Sunna-planned ambush
Occupation
  • 1st Airborne Brigade paratrooper, JGSDF (Former)
  • 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment soldier, French Foreign Legion, French Army (Former)
  • Hart Security Ltd. Security contractor
RelativesHironobu Saito (brother)

Saito's abduction and subsequent death came as a shock to the Japanese public who were surprised to find out that a former member of the Japanese Self-Defence Force was operating as a private security officer in Iraq.[2]

Early life

Prior to entering the French Foreign Legion, Akihiko served in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) in the 1st Airborne Brigade in 1979[3][4][5] before he left in 1981.[6] Akihiko was subsequently recruited into the ranks of the Legion on June 1983.[7]

He then served in the French Foreign Legion for 20 years[8] with the rank of Chief Adjutant (French: Adjudant-Chef) before his departure.[9] Saito was notably deployed with the French Foreign Legion's 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, where he served in numerous combat operations in Africa.[7] During his time with the Legion, he was based at Calvi/Corsica.[5]

Abduction

Akihiko Saito had been working for Hart Security Ltd.,[8] a Cyprus-based[10] British firm as a security specialist (under contract to PWC Logistics at the Abu Ghraib Warehouse Distribution Center near Baghdad International Airport) since December 2004 until his abduction by armed Jaish Ansar al-Sunna militants.[11] He was ambushed alongside five other foreign contractors (mostly South African).[12] However those foreign contractors were part of a convoy including twelve additional Iraqi security contractors along with five Iraqi truck drivers they were hired to safeguard; in total twenty three were killed in the ambush that took place in the town of Hit.[13]

He was eventually killed by Jaish Ansar al-Sunna militants in a video released on the internet.[14]

Aftermath

Video of a dead body was posted online May 27, purportedly by the group, along with his identification papers and passport; his identity in the video was visually confirmed by his brother Hironobu Saito,[15] the Japanese Foreign Ministry,[16] the Japanese National Police Agency and Hart Security.[17]

According to Al Jazeera, his presence in Iraq may have been used to legitimize the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraqi soil.[2] His death was condemned by the Iraqi government.[18] The Japanese government had condemned his death, saying that it will do little to hamper JSDF deployment to Iraq.[19]

He was the sixth Japanese worker in Iraq to be taken hostage; two others had been killed and three released unharmed.[15] While about 600 JGSDF personnel were in Iraq at any time,[15] none had been killed when they withdrew in July 2006.[20]

The Tokyo Stock Exchange was not affected by the kidnapping with traders saying that it did little or nothing at all to affect the stock market.[13] His abduction fueled more opposition against the Japanese government's plans to send JSDF forces to Iraqi soil, believing that their presence would make them a terror target.[19]

References
  1. "Japanese hostage confirmed dead". British Broadcasting Corporation. May 28, 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  2. Gavin Blair (May 25, 2005). "Japanese media glorifies Iraq hostage". Al Jazeera. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  3. Dai Kaneko (2008-02-16). "Expatriates find uneasy refuge in Foreign Legion". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  4. "Akihiko Saito". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 2005-05-27. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  5. "Kidnapping reveals a Japanese warrior". The Japan Times. May 11, 2005. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  6. Reiji Yoshida (May 12, 2005). "Saito just one of many Japanese in French Foreign Legion: ex-legionnaire". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  7. "Le Japon sans nouvelles du "soldat" Saito, disparu en Irak". Libération (in French). 2005-05-17. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  8. Burns, John F. (May 11, 2005). "Iraq Legislators Set Up Panel to Draft a Constitution". The New York Times. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  9. Saito just one of many Japanese in French Foreign Legion: ex-legionnaire. Retrieved on April 25, 2008. Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Roberts, Joel (May 10, 2005). "Iraq Militants Strike Back". www.cbsnews.com: CBSNEWS WORLD. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  11. Kanako Takahara of the Japan Times (May 10, 2005). "JAPAN: Japanese Security Specialist Kidnapped in Iraq". Corp Watch. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  12. "U.S. attack rages a 3rd day in Iraq". The New York Times. May 11, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  13. Linda Sleg (May 10, 2005). "Japan unfazed by alleged hostage-takers". Independent Online. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  14. "Japanese hostage held in Iraq is murdered". The Telegraph. London. May 28, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  15. Deborah Cameron (May 30, 2005). "Japanese hostage killed in Iraq". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  16. Deborah Cameron (May 30, 2005). "Body of gun-for-hire hostage identified". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  17. Jonathan Finer and Anthony Faiola (May 29, 2005). "Japanese Contractor Is Feared Slain in Iraq". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  18. "Iraqi govt condemns killing of Japanese hostage". Xinhua News. May 28, 2005. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  19. "Japan Won't Pull Troops Over Kidnapping". British Ministry of Defence Oracle. May 10, 2005. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  20. "Japan to withdraw its 600 troops from Iraq". USA Today. June 20, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
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