Deception for Information Control

Focus of the kidnapping of Japanese men is now on how Japanese government handle the issue. Some newspapers revealed that the government knew the death of one of the two hostages, Haruna Yukawa, before the picture of another detainee, Kenji Goto, was uploaded on YouTube. While the officials pretended to have realized the death of Yukawa after the web stream was uploaded. The government cannot control its important information without lying to the people.

The government has obtained the video with picture of Goto with photo of dead Yukawa in his hands certain period of time before it was uploaded. The officials analyzed the footage and reconfirmed its authenticity. Abe administration called King Abdullah of Jordan around 5 p.m. of Saturday, six hours before the footage was uploaded, and told the king that the demand of Islamic State had changed from ransom to release a female prisoner in Jordan.

Mainichi Shimbun reported a possibility that hostage exchange may be taken place in a form of two plus two. It quoted a report of Jordan Times that indicated new demand of Islamic State which added a male prisoner with death sentence to the demand of free Sajida al-Rishawi in hostage exchange. It might mean a deal that the exchange would be done with Goto and two Jordanian pilots captured by Islamic State. However, King Abdullah prioritized release of Jordanian hostages to Japanese detainee. It is questioned whether Japanese diplomacy has really built trustful relationship with Jordanian government.

In expectation of release of hostages, the Japanese public has been relatively calm, not having broad demonstration in streets like in Paris at the time of assault on Charlié Hebdo. But people are getting nervous about situation of Goto. New action was launched from New York. A Japanese movie producer, Taku Nishimae, launched new page of Facebook and Twitter, in which he stand with card reading “I am Kenji,” paralleling with “Je suis Charlié.” Knowing Goto for ten years, Nishimae appealed Goto’s goodness and required Goto’s release to the world. A lot of people approve it and uploaded picture with the message of “I am Kenji.”

Strangely enough, right wing people in Japan are not joining such a nationalistic action to save their fellow countrymen, reiterating not giving in terrorism. Appalled by brutality of terrorism, obviously different from what they had seen in battle TV game, naïve conservatives keep on murmuring about personal responsibility of the captured journalist. They do not appeal further integrated action of Japan, escaping from reality. They might be realized how dangerous Abe’s polity to reach war on terrorism is.