I received this email today from Andrew Gunn:

 

I learnt this morning that one of the current Japanese hostages in Iraq is a friend of a friend – a Japanese peace activist who hosted one of my children during a school trip to Japan.

She’s asking for people to write a couple of emails.

Here’s a quote of background info –

As you may know, 3 Japanese humanitarian and peace activist/journalists are in hostage in Iraq. One of them is dear friend of mine. See below.

They say unless Japanese Self Defence Force withdrow form Iraq within 3 days, they will kill all 3, burn them alive and cut them into pieces. They don’t know who those Japanese are. They are my friends. They are peace activists and humanitarian volunteers who have been really helping Iraqi children who are suffering from DU or/and from the war. Can you send an e-mail to Aljazeera, informing those hostages are against war and occupation and they are in Iraq to make peace, to make SDF back home.

Mr. Noriaki Imai is my dear friend who has been working to stop the use of DU (depleted uranium) and who is against war and occupation. He just graduated from high school and went to Iraq to help Iraqi children who are suffering from the contamination of DU.

Ms. Nahoko Takato is humanitarian volunteer who has been helping street children who lost parents and home in the war. Her work has been really very appreciated by Iraqi people. She moved so many Japanese and her work has woken up many Japanese.

Mr. Soichiro Koriyama is a freelance photographer who is working with Imai. They went to write an article for Asahi Weekly.

The group who took the hostage says that they will kill all 3 unless Japanese Self Defence Force withdraw from Iraq.

In my opinion, this war is wrong from the beginning as Kucinich says, and Japan should not have sent our troops, which is violating our Peace Constitution.

The suggested actions were to:

1. Email Prime Minister Koizumi at koizumi@mmz.kantei.go.jp to ask that the Japanese SDF be withdrawn from Iraq.

2. Contact Aljazeera to tell them that these Japanese hostages are peace activists who are there to help suffering Iraqis and do not support the war. Go to Aljazeera and click on ‘Your Feedback’ in the left column.

Thanks.