Japanese Journalists’ Car Attacked

Gunmen attacked a car carrying two Japanese journalists in Iraq, setting the vehicle on fire, and the fate of the two men remained unclear, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said today.

The driver said he managed to get out of the car before it burst into flames during the attack late Thursday, the ministry said in a statement. The driver was treated for injuries at a hospital near Baghdad, it said.

Japanese national broadcaster NHK cited unidentified government officials as saying they feared that one of the journalists had died and the other was injured, but the government said it was unable to confirm any details.

The government identified the two freelance journalists as Shinsuke Hashida, 61, and his nephew, Kotaro Ogawa, 33.

The attack occurred about 20 miles south of Baghdad while the journalists were on their way to the capital from the southern city of Samawah, where Japan has deployed hundreds of noncombat troops, the Foreign Ministry statement said.