Shosei Koda
Encyclopedia
Shosei Koda was a Japan
ese 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
. 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.
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.
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 blindfold
ed 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
" ("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.
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.
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 citizen who was kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and later beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
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....
on November 3, 2004 while touring
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
the country. His parents were members of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. 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.
The captors demanded that Japan withdraw its forces from Iraq, but the Japanese government
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
refused. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
firmly rejected that demand, saying he would not give in to terrorists.
In the video of his murder, his three captors stand while Koda sits on the American flag
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
. Koda has his hands tied behind his back and is blindfold
Blindfold
A blindfold is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. It can be worn when the eyes are in a closed state and thus prevents the wearer from opening them...
ed 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
Takbir
The Takbīr or Tekbir is the Arabic term for the phrase ' . It is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". It is a common Islamic Arabic expression...
" ("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
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
. His headless body was placed on top of a blood-soaked American flag.
Koda's body was found in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
near Haifa Street
Haifa Street
Haifa Street is a two mile long street in Baghdad, Iraq. Along with Yafa Street , it runs southeast to the Assassin's Gate, an archway that served as the main entrance to the American-run Green Zone during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, paralleling the Tigris river...
. 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.
Kōda's given name (Shōsei) literally means "proof of life" in Japanese. Mark Simkin of Lateline
Lateline
Lateline is an Australian television news and current affairs program produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, airing weeknights at on ABC1. The program has developed a reputation for head-to-head debates on current issues and political interviews. Lateline is followed by its sister...
said that this was an "awful irony" for people who had prayed for Koda's survival for four days.
See also
- Piotr StańczakPiotr StańczakPiotr Stańczak was a Polish geologist who was beheaded by Islamic terrorists in Pakistan in February 2009. Stańczak was abducted in the city of Attock in September 2008 after gunmen shot dead his driver, translator and bodyguard with whom he was travelling in a car...
- Eugene Armstrong
- Nick BergNick BergNicholas Evan "Nick" Berg was an American businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded according to a video released in May 2004 by Islamist militants...
- Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. was an American helicopter engineer who lived in Saudi Arabia. He was a native of both Stafford and Eagleswood, New Jersey...
- Kim Sun-ilKim Sun-ilKim Sun-il was a South Korean translator and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq.- Kidnapping :...
- Jack HensleyJack HensleyJack Hensley was an American engineer from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.While working in Iraq he was kidnapped and beheaded by Iraqi insurgents. His colleague, Eugene Armstrong, was beheaded the previous day...
- Kenneth BigleyKenneth BigleyKenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
- Daniel PearlDaniel PearlDaniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
- Margaret HassanMargaret HassanMargaret Hassan was an Irish aid worker who had worked in Iraq for many years until she was abducted and murdered by unidentified kidnappers in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 59...
- Seif Adnan KanaanSeif Adnan KanaanSeif Adnan Kanaan , was an Iraqi citizen who was abducted in Iraq and beheaded on October 22, 2004. The reason given by the kidnappers, the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna, was that he was employed by the United States Army.-Murder:...