By IRNA,
Tokyo : Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, in a statement issued on Sunday appreciated Iran’s efforts to release the abducted Japanese student safely on Saturday.
Satoshi Nakamura, a 23-year-old Japanese student was abducted by bandits on October 8, 2007, in an Iranian southeastern region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan as he headed from his hotel for the ancient mud-built citadel of Bam in Kerman province.
A bandit called Esmail Shahbakhsh, blamed for the kidnapping, had reportedly demanded the release of his arrested son in exchange for Nakamura.
Japan thanked Iran for its cooperation in resolving the matter and said it would send a senior envoy late Sunday to Tehran to pick up Nakamura.
Japan will send Senior Vice Foreign Minister Itsunori Onodera to Tehran to pick up Nakamura, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that they would return to Osaka on Monday.
“The Japanese government would like to express its profound gratitude to Iranian officials for having made all-out efforts to secure Mr. Nakamura’s safe release,” Komura said in a statement.
“The Japanese government takes this opportunity to resolutely denounce the contemptible crime of kidnapping,” he added.