TOKYO, April 30 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

TOKYO, April 30 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING MORE INFO)

A Japanese photojournalist held hostage in Iraq along with pair compatriots in April remind ofed Friday that the Japanese government's outright rejection of their families' plea to withdraw squads from the country as demanded according to their kidnappers will make it riskier for Japanese civilians working in similar places in future

''I think this confounds a considerable threat to nongovernmental organization staff, offers and journalists like me who ways activities in dangerous places from now on'' Soichiro Koriyama, 32 told a pres conversation in Tokyo, the first of brace media events held Friday since the three responded to Japan on April 18

Defending the families' beseech for the government to twitch the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) crowds from Iraq in response to the kidnappers' demands, he said, ''I think anyone in that situation would do the same thing. It's single natural.''

Koriyama appeared at the sum of two units news conferences together with peace activist Noriaki Imai, 18 They were were detained according to militants in Iraq for nine days from April 7 along with aid worker Nahoko Takato, 34

Takato did not attend the media ends as she was still experiencing psychological moot points her supporters said.

Imai, who apparently defied his doctor's advice not to give pres talks left both events after recounting his time in the hands of the hostage-takers and answering sole questions that were submitted beforehand.

Koriyama prompted that the criticisms by Japanese dominion officials and some politicians that the three should take responsibility for their concede actions and pay for near of the costs incurred in gaining their release has made it harder for them to cope with the experience.

''It have the appearances as though the things we were doing with conviction have been completely denied,'' Koriyama said, adding that they had had no idea until after their release that their abduction had become a national talking point back home

Koriyama urg others planning to pass to Iraq or other countries where the situation is unstable to have conviction about what they are doing, and said he himself is planning to revert to Iraq ''as betimes as I can get ready'' because he was unable to take any pictures there the last time.

Takashi Morizumi, a photographer who has worked with Takato, said the present aid worker has told him she also wants to proceed back to continue helping way children in Baghdad and other indigent Iraqis but has to work by the and of her ''anger'' first.

Imai, a novel high school graduate who was making his first trip to Iraq, also said he wants to travel back to Iraq so he can do research forward the use of depleted uranium ammunition by dint of U.S.-led forces and the drifts on local residents.

The three were captured by way of armed militants near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, while traveling through taxi from Amman, Jordan, to the Iraqi capital. The hostage-takers threatened to kill the three unles Japan withdrew the SDF from Iraq.

Imai said that quick after they were taken captive, they were interrogated from one side of to the other whether they were spies, however after Takato explained what they had approach to Iraq for, their captors repeatedly said they were ''sorry'' and gave assurances that they would not kill them.

After that, they were serv rice and chicken in succession a big plate -- a manner which Imai said he later learned was a sign of treating friends with hospitality.

if it be not that after that, the captors produc a video camera and ordered them to hoot and act scared, Imai said, adding, ''I didn't know what was going forward They came in and started saying, 'No Koizumi, no Koizumi,'' and deposit a knife to my throat. I was excessively frightened.''

The footage was aired upon the Arab news satellite TV station Al-Jazeera forward April 8, a day after the three were detained, along with a written demand by dint of the militant group for Japan to withdraw its throngs in three days or besides the three would be toasted alive.

Koriyama said they had no idea that the video footage was broadcast on the media or that their captors had issued the demand until they were taken to the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad following their release.

Japanese conduct officials have said the three should be held partly responsible for their abduction as they chose to pass to Iraq despite restraint warnings about the dangers.

near critics suspect the government's tough attitude toward the former hostages is motivated according to the initial request by their families for Tokyo to hap Japanese troops out of Iraq, as demanded by means of the kidnappers.

In word s of the responsibility issue, Koriyama said he believes it is his responsibility as a journalist to go on to places that are dangerous and report forward what is really going onward there, while Imai said his responsibility is to relay to Japanese clan his experience in Iraq.

In a separate incident, brace other Japanese -- journalist Jumpei Yasuda, 30 and human rights activist Nobutaka Watanabe, 36 -- were detained for four days from April 14 in Iraq while trying to make their way from Baghdad to Fallujah.