was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped and later beheaded in Iraq on 29 October 2004, by

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ( ar, أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ ٱلزَّرْقَاوِيُّ, ', ''Father of Musab, from Zarqa''; ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh (, '), was a Jordanian jihadist who ran a t ...

's group, while touring the country. He was the first Japanese person beheaded in Iraq.

Early life and education

Koda's parents, Setsuko Koda and Masumi Koda, were members of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

."Death Not in Vain: Son of Japanese Christian Parents Kidnapped and Killed by Militants in Baghdad."
Japan Christian Activity News Fall/Winter 2004
'.
Archive
National Christian Council in Japan. ISSN 0021-4353. Number 737 (Northern Hemisphere) Fall/Winter 2004. 6 (6/20). Retrieved on 7 March 2011. Due to Koda's family affiliation with the United Church of Christ, a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

was inscribed upon his arm. The family was from

Nōgata, Fukuoka is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. Located near Kitakyūshū and Iizuka, Fukuoka, Iizuka, Nōgata is in the center of the Chikuhō region of Fukuoka. The city was founded ...

, a small southern city in Japan, and his mother was a nurse. Koda dropped out of high school in his junior year before he started working as an interior painter until 2002.

Kidnapping and death

Koda left

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

on 20 October 2004. He ignored advice not to travel to Iraq, and entered the country, because he was curious as to what happened there. Koda's captors stated that they would "treat him like his predecessors

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...

and Bigley" (Bigley was murdered just weeks before by the organization, before being known as Al Qaeda in Iraq) if Japan did not withdraw its forces from Iraq within 48 hours. The

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

headed by Prime Minister

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is ...

refused to comply with these demands, stating that they will not concede to terrorists.Roberts, Joel.
Report: Japanese Hostage Killed

Archive
. ''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

''. 29 October 2004. Retrieved on 7 March 2011. In the video sequence of Koda's murder, Koda sits on the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

, his captors standing behind him. Koda's hands are tied behind his back. He is blindfolded while a captor reads a speech for two minutes and ten seconds. The captors then hold him down on the ground as they begin to decapitate him. Throughout the beheading, "Erhaby Ana", a

nasheed A nasheed (Arabic: singular ', plural ', meaning: "chants") is a work of vocal music, partially coincident with hymns, that is either sung ''a cappella'' or with instruments, according to a particular style or tradition within Islam. Nasheed ...

, is played. The video sequence ends with shots of Koda's severed head on top of his body followed by shots of the banner of

al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...

. His body was found in Baghdad on 30 October wrapped in an American flag.

Aftermath

Koda's body was returned to Japan. He was given a Christian funeral. The events provoked mixed responses in Japan; while many Japanese citizens were angered and appalled by the murder, some blamed the victim and others criticized the Koizumi administration.Simkin, Mark.
Mixed reaction to Japanese beheading in Iraq

. ''

Lateline ''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...

''. 1 November 2004. Retrieved on 7 March 2011. Koda's given name, Shōsei, literally means "proof of life" in Japanese. Mark Simkin of the Australian television news program ''

'' said that this was an "awful irony" for people who had prayed for Koda's survival for four days.

References

External links

Shosei Koda's Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koda, Shosei 1979 births 2004 deaths 2004 murders in Iraq People from Nōgata, Fukuoka Deaths by decapitation Foreign hostages in Iraq Japanese people murdered abroad Japanese people of the Iraq War Japanese people taken hostage Japanese terrorism victims People murdered in Iraq Terrorism deaths in Iraq Islamism-related beheadings Iraq–Japan relations Missing person cases in Iraq Filmed executions in Iraq Beheading videos

Early life and education

Kidnapping and death

Aftermath

See also

References

External links