World IN BRIEF : JAPAN : Rightists Surrender in Hostage Ordeal

Two rightists armed with a pistol and a traditional Japanese sword stormed the Tokyo offices of a liberal newspaper and took two employees hostage for hours before surrendering peaceably to police. No one was hurt in the nearly six-hour ordeal, during which the men called for more “soul” in economic development and criticized the Asahi Shimbun for accepting overseas criticism of Japan’s role in World War II. The neatly dressed men bowed, thanked police for their efforts and quietly stepped into police vehicles after agreeing to surrender.