2 Japanese women kidnapped in Yemen freed

Thursday 08th May, 07:19 AM JST

CAIRO —

Two female Japanese tourists kidnapped in Yemen have been safely released, officials at the Japanese Embassy in Yemen said early Thursday morning. The women, who local tribesmen kidnapped at the historic site of Marib in western Yemen, have arrived unhurt at their Marib hotel, the officials said.

Their release followed negotiations between the four kidnappers and tribal leaders who surrounded the house where the women were being held.

The women, who were part of a larger group of tourists, were kidnapped Wednesday afternoon on their way to the ancient Marib Dam.

The Japanese Embassy in Yemen listed them as Keiko Mishima and Shizuko Endo.

While the negotiations were under way, the kidnappers opened fire on the tribal leaders but no one was wounded, a senior member of the tribe told Kyodo News, adding the women were well-treated.

Local news website Marib Press quoted sources close to the situation as saying the kidnappers demanded that a man in custody in Sanaa over the alleged murder of a Yemeni government soldier be freed. Reports said the man in custody is a relative of the kidnappers.

A friend of the two women who accompanied them on their sightseeing tour to the Dam of Marib told Kyodo News that they left their Marib hotel after lunch Wednesday along with one other woman headed for the ancient dam.

The two Japanese women were in one vehicle and the rest were in another, the friend said.

The friend said while she was lying down in the vehicle after seeing a truck carrying armed men approach, the other vehicle disappeared.

A source close to the case said the tribal leaders located the house where the Japanese women were taken immediately after they were kidnapped.

The four women arrived in Marib Wednesday. They had been participating in a package tour from Japan since last Friday.

After the incident surfaced, the Japanese Foreign Ministry set up a liaison office at the ministry’s Consular Affairs Bureau.

Public broadcaster Radio France reported that security officers tried to rescue the two women at a checkpoint but the attempt failed and one of the officers was wounded.

Reuters news service quoted a provincial government official as saying, ‘‘They took them in their vehicle and kicked away their Yemeni driver.’’

‘‘The kidnappers want a jailed member of their tribe to be released,’’ said the official, who declined to be named.

Disgruntled tribesmen have in the past kidnapped Western tourists to press for better living conditions in the Arabian Peninsula country.

The site of the great Dam of Marib is upstream of the ancient city of Marib, once the capital of the Kingdom of Saba’a, believed to be the kingdom of the legendary Queen of Sheba. Marib is about 150 kilometers east of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, more than 200 kidnapping cases involving foreigners have been reported in Yemen since 1990. But none resulted in harm to the victims, the ministry said.

6 Comments

rjd_jr at 07:45 AM JST - 8th May

Thank goodness these women are safe!
rjd_jr at 07:46 AM JST - 8th May

Oh before I forget, I wonder how many will 'blame' the Japanese women here for getting into this predicament. Never mind that people of all nationalities go on tours all over the world, even in the Middle East and other potential hotspots, and these types of things can happen.
telecasterplayer at 07:46 AM JST - 8th May

Yeah, what possible reason could there be to travel to such a place?
Alphaape at 08:31 AM JST - 8th May

Glad to hear that they were safe. I wonder did they make them "convert to Islam" while they were held captive like they did to the South Koreans that were captured in Afghanistan a few years back.

I hope there will not be any "blame the victim" as rjd mentioned. These women were adventurous and had every right to go there and tour historical sights. I am sure that they were not there meddeling in politics or anything else.

These 3rd world places are real dangers to travel to. Sure the historical beauty may be there and prices reasonable, but the safety considerations are something to take in consideration. I guess their next trip will be to Hawaii, so much for trying something differnt.
tkoind2 at 01:02 PM JST - 8th May

There are places in the world that have an appeal to some despite their obvious dangers. I, for one, want to see the ancient Persian ruins in Iran and the sites along the silk road. When we travel to such places we have to consider the potential consequences. I know for me I hope to go despite the risks. Afterall some things in life are worth risk. You could just as easily die on your daily commute as in an attack in a distant country.

I'm happy they are safe. Sad to hear that they were in danger. And hopeful that more situations can resolve with everyone alive and well.
tkoind2 at 01:04 PM JST - 8th May

One more thing. I have been surprised when my 150cm 40kg friends announce that they travelled Pakistan or Siberia or Algeria on their own. All I can say is that there are a few very gutsy travel girls in Japan.