Japanese freelance journalist missing in north

The Japanese government has confirmed that Japanese freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka has been missing since 31 March. According to Japanese news reports, he was kidnapped in a Taliban-controlled area near the northern city of Kunduz, but there has so far been no report of any group claiming his abduction. “A degree of caution is needed in this case as the abduction has not been confirmed by any independent source and it is important not to compromise any local negotiation attempts,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We appeal above all to the insurgent groups not to resort to the abduction of journalists in the areas they control. The growing danger is making it very difficult for the media to cover the war.” Aged 40, Tsuneoka is an experienced reporter who has covered armed conflicts in Chechnya and Iraq. He announced on Twitter that he was entering a Taliban-controlled area. Two French journalists employed by the French TV station France 3 and their three Afghan assistants have been held hostage in Afghanistan since 30 December. New York Times reporters Stephen Farrell and Sultan Munadi were kidnapped near Kunduz last September. Munadi died during the operation that British soldiers carried out to rescue him and Farrell. Japanese journalist Yanagida Daigen was arrested by the Taliban authorities near the Pakistani border in October 2001. Initially suspected of espionage, he was finally released from a prison in the eastern city of Jalalabad.