Shosei Koda
| Shosei Koda | |
|---|---|
 Shosei Koda shortly before his beheading |
|
| Born | November 29, 1979 Japan |
| Died | October 29, 2004 (aged 24) Iraq |
| Cause of death | Beheading |
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Shosei Koda (Japanese: 香田 証生, Kōda Shōsei; November 29, 1979 – October 29, 2004) was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped and later beheaded in Iraq on November 3, 2004 while touring the country. His parents were members of the United Church of Christ.[1] Koda ignored advice not to travel to the country and entered Iraq on October 19, 2004 because he wanted to know what was happening there.[2][3]
The captors demanded that Japan withdraw its forces from Iraq, but the Japanese government refused. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi firmly rejected that demand, saying he would not give in to terrorists.[4]
In the video of his murder, his three captors stand while Koda sits on the American flag. Koda has his hands tied behind his back and is blindfolded while a captor, behind him, reads a speech which lasts for two minutes and ten seconds. After that, the captors place him on the ground and hold him down as they begin to behead him. Throughout the beheading, the captors chant "Allāhu Akbar" (English: "God is great"). The video ends with shots of Koda's blood-covered, severed head on top of his body and a few seconds of shots with the banner of al-Qaeda in Iraq. His headless body was placed on top of a blood-soaked American flag.
Koda's body was found in Baghdad near Haifa Street. His death prompted mixed response in Japan, with most of the country angered and appalled by the murder, but some criticizing the victim and some blaming the government of Koizumi.[5]
Kōda's given name (Shōsei) literally means "proof of life" in Japanese. Mark Simkin of Lateline said that this was an "awful irony" for people who had prayed for Koda's survival for four days.[5]
[edit] See also
- Piotr Stańczak
- Eugene Armstrong
- Nick Berg
- Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.
- Kim Sun-il
- Jack Hensley
- Kenneth Bigley
- Daniel Pearl
- Margaret Hassan
- Seif Adnan Kanaan
[edit] References
- ^ "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 March 7, 2011.
- ^ "Japanese hostage in Iraq believed to be civilian traveler." China Daily. October 27, 2004. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ "Was Koda just silly or was his curiosity justified? Young people have their say" The Japan Times. Friday, October 29, 2004. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Joel. "Report: Japanese Hostage Killed." CBS News. October 29, 2004. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Simkin, Mark. "Mixed reaction to Japanese beheading in Iraq." Lateline. November 1, 2004. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
