Akihiko Saito
Encyclopedia
Akihiko Saito was a Japan
ese security guard, who was taken hostage by the Jaish Ansar al-Sunna
in Iraq
in 2005, and later died in captivity of wounds he had received in the earlier gunbattle in which he was captured. 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 Saitoand later by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He was 44 years old; he was survived by his father and two brothers.
, he served in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
(JGSDF) in the 1st Airborne Brigade
in 1979 before he left in 1981.
(Staff Sergeant) before his departure.
militants. The other four foreign and twelve Iraqi convoy personnel were killed during the ambush.
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
personnel were in Iraq at any time, none had been killed when they withdrew in July 2006; all other Japanese workers in official Coalition support roles left by December 2008.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese security guard, who was taken hostage by the Jaish Ansar al-Sunna
Jaish Ansar al-Sunna
Ansar al-Sunnah or Jamaat Ansar al-Sunnah or Group of the Followers of Sunnah , is a terrorist salafi group in Iraq that is fighting the U.S.-led occupation and the elected government led by Nouri al-Maliki. The group is based in northern and central Iraq, and includes mostly Iraqi fighters...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in 2005, and later died in captivity of wounds he had received in the earlier gunbattle in which he was captured. 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 Saitoand later by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He was 44 years old; he was survived by his father and two brothers.
JGSDF career
Prior to entering the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, he served in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
(JGSDF) in the 1st Airborne Brigade
1st Airborne Brigade (Japan)
The , also known as the Narashino Airborne Brigade , is stationed in the Narashino Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Base in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. It is part of the Eastern Army in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force...
in 1979 before he left in 1981.
French Foreign Legion career
He was a 20-year veteran of the French Foreign Legion who had the rank of Sergent-ChefStaff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
(Staff Sergeant) before his departure.
Post Legion career
Akihiko Saito had been working for Hart Security Ltd., a Cyprus-based British firm as a security specialist since December 2004 until his abduction by armed Jaish Ansar al-SunnaJaish Ansar al-Sunna
Ansar al-Sunnah or Jamaat Ansar al-Sunnah or Group of the Followers of Sunnah , is a terrorist salafi group in Iraq that is fighting the U.S.-led occupation and the elected government led by Nouri al-Maliki. The group is based in northern and central Iraq, and includes mostly Iraqi fighters...
militants. The other four foreign and twelve Iraqi convoy personnel were killed during the ambush.
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
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
personnel were in Iraq at any time, none had been killed when they withdrew in July 2006; all other Japanese workers in official Coalition support roles left by December 2008.