was a Japanese security specialist adviser who was taken hostage by the

Jaish Ansar al-Sunna Jamaat Ansar al-Sunnah ( ar, جماعة أنصار السنه, Jama'at 'Anṣār as-Sunnah, lit=Assembly of the Helpers of Sunnah), also known as Jaish Ansar al-Sunna (Army of the Helpers of Sunnah), Ali ibn Abi Talib Battalion or simply ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in 2005. 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.

Early life

Prior to entering the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

, Akihiko served in the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

(JGSDF) in the 1st Airborne Brigade in 1979 before he left in 1981. Akihiko was subsequently recruited into the ranks of the Legion on June 1983. He then served in the French Foreign Legion for 20 years with the rank of Chief Adjutant (French: ''Adjudant-Chef'') before his departure.Saito just one of many Japanese in French Foreign Legion: ex-legionnaire.
Retrieved on April 25, 2008. Saito was notably deployed with the French Foreign Legion's

2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e REP) is the only airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part o ...

, where he served in numerous combat operations in Africa. During his time with the Legion, he was based at Calvi/Corsica.

Abduction

Akihiko Saito had been working for Hart Security Ltd., a Cyprus-based 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

militants. He was ambushed alongside five other foreign contractors (mostly South African). 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. He was eventually killed by Jaish Ansar al-Sunna militants in a video released on the internet.

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, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, the Japanese National Police Agency and Hart Security. According to Al Jazeera, his presence in Iraq may have been used to legitimize the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraqi soil. His death was condemned by the Iraqi government. The Japanese government had condemned his death, saying that it will do little to hamper JSDF deployment to Iraq. He was the sixth Japanese worker in Iraq to be taken hostage; two others had been killed and three released unharmed. While about 600

JGSDF The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

personnel were in Iraq at any time, none had been killed when they withdrew in July 2006. The

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed co ...

was not affected by the kidnapping with traders saying that it did little or nothing at all to affect the stock market. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saito, Akihiko 2005 deaths Foreign hostages in Iraq Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion Japanese people taken hostage Japanese people murdered abroad People murdered in Iraq Japanese people of the Iraq War Terrorism deaths in Iraq Iraq–Japan relations 1961 births