"Self-Responsibility" of Japanese Hostages in Iraq
NISHIKAWA Megumi / Journalist
May 31, 2004
Five Japanese citizens, consisting of NGO workers and freelance journalists, were taken hostage by some Muslim group in Fallujah, Iraq. Fortunately, they were subsequently released, but the Japanese government criticized them for entering Iraq despite repeated warnings not to enter the country; they were admonitioned of their failure to think seriously about the meaning of "self-responsibility."
This episode has reminded me of my personal experiences immediately after the outbreak of the Gulf crisis in August 1990.
After the American invasion of Kuwait, Iraq closed its doors to the foreign media except for certain American television networks, hoping that by doing so their views and arguments would better be spread in the world. In the meantime, they took foreign residents in Kuwait as hostages and began transferring them to Baghdad. As the world's attention was focused on Iraq, many foreign journalists contrived to enter the country. I, then residing in Paris as a Japanese correspondent, managed to effortlessly enter Iraq and reach Baghdad.
This is something that can only be said now, but I went into the country as a regular citizen with a tourist, not a journalist, visa obtained from the Iraqi Embassy in France. When I turned up at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, the ambassador was rather taken aback: "We're trying to get Japanese people out of the country as quickly as possible, and here you are coming in."
In the Middle Eastern countries, foreign journalists are not allowed to undertake reporting activities without a journalist visa. Under the tense atmosphere at that time, there was a possibility of my being taken into custody by Iraqi authorities. Following the Embassy's advice, I moved to an inconspicuous hotel less suspicious to the ever watchful eyes of the Iraqi authorities and continued my reporting activities. Every morning at a particular hour, I made a telephone call from the hotel to the Embassy reporting my safety. A week later, I judged that further reporting activities would imperil my safety and I turned myself in to the Iraqi authorities. They gave me a good talking-to, but I received a journalist visa in the end and was allowed to continue my stay.
Much has been made of the term "self-responsibility" in the latest Japanese hostage situation. The gist of it is the following: "We shouldn't venture into risky territories where we might find ourselves unable to take responsibility for ourselves. We should be aware of what a nuisance this would cause to so many others."
The Japanese are quite sensitive to the idea of "being a nuisance to others." From the point of view of a journalist, however, I would dare to say that there was a need to assess the risks in my own way and at times to perform tight-rope acts in order to find out actual conditions in Iraq. Things are not so cut-and-dry that we should simply "give up reporting in dangerous circumstances." A similar rationale may apply to the activities of NGOs, which are based on religious or humanitarian principles.
At times, such situations could go against the grain of the policy if the Japanese government, and the government might very well not like what it sees. We need to remember, however, that it is in Japan's interest that the existence of diverse Japanese people in all corners of the globe and the growth of the volume of international news coverage in Japan leads, in the long-term, to 1) the improvement of Japan's image to the outside world 2) a better Japanese understanding of the world. It goes without saying that the utmost restraint and caution is required on the part of these journalists and NGO workers.
My interpretation of "self-responsibility" is "not to blame others for your plight." In this particular case, one shouldn't say that "the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces is at fault for my becoming hostage, "or that "the Japanese government is to blame for the plight of the hostages." Both journalists and NGO workers in question were destined to carry out their tasks under the circumstances.
The writer is Senior Editorial Staff Writer at the Mainichi Newspapers.
This episode has reminded me of my personal experiences immediately after the outbreak of the Gulf crisis in August 1990.
After the American invasion of Kuwait, Iraq closed its doors to the foreign media except for certain American television networks, hoping that by doing so their views and arguments would better be spread in the world. In the meantime, they took foreign residents in Kuwait as hostages and began transferring them to Baghdad. As the world's attention was focused on Iraq, many foreign journalists contrived to enter the country. I, then residing in Paris as a Japanese correspondent, managed to effortlessly enter Iraq and reach Baghdad.
This is something that can only be said now, but I went into the country as a regular citizen with a tourist, not a journalist, visa obtained from the Iraqi Embassy in France. When I turned up at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, the ambassador was rather taken aback: "We're trying to get Japanese people out of the country as quickly as possible, and here you are coming in."
In the Middle Eastern countries, foreign journalists are not allowed to undertake reporting activities without a journalist visa. Under the tense atmosphere at that time, there was a possibility of my being taken into custody by Iraqi authorities. Following the Embassy's advice, I moved to an inconspicuous hotel less suspicious to the ever watchful eyes of the Iraqi authorities and continued my reporting activities. Every morning at a particular hour, I made a telephone call from the hotel to the Embassy reporting my safety. A week later, I judged that further reporting activities would imperil my safety and I turned myself in to the Iraqi authorities. They gave me a good talking-to, but I received a journalist visa in the end and was allowed to continue my stay.
Much has been made of the term "self-responsibility" in the latest Japanese hostage situation. The gist of it is the following: "We shouldn't venture into risky territories where we might find ourselves unable to take responsibility for ourselves. We should be aware of what a nuisance this would cause to so many others."
The Japanese are quite sensitive to the idea of "being a nuisance to others." From the point of view of a journalist, however, I would dare to say that there was a need to assess the risks in my own way and at times to perform tight-rope acts in order to find out actual conditions in Iraq. Things are not so cut-and-dry that we should simply "give up reporting in dangerous circumstances." A similar rationale may apply to the activities of NGOs, which are based on religious or humanitarian principles.
At times, such situations could go against the grain of the policy if the Japanese government, and the government might very well not like what it sees. We need to remember, however, that it is in Japan's interest that the existence of diverse Japanese people in all corners of the globe and the growth of the volume of international news coverage in Japan leads, in the long-term, to 1) the improvement of Japan's image to the outside world 2) a better Japanese understanding of the world. It goes without saying that the utmost restraint and caution is required on the part of these journalists and NGO workers.
My interpretation of "self-responsibility" is "not to blame others for your plight." In this particular case, one shouldn't say that "the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces is at fault for my becoming hostage, "or that "the Japanese government is to blame for the plight of the hostages." Both journalists and NGO workers in question were destined to carry out their tasks under the circumstances.
The writer is Senior Editorial Staff Writer at the Mainichi Newspapers.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
人質問題で考えたこと
西川 恵 / ジャーナリスト
2004年 5月 31日
イラクのファルージャで日本人のＮＧＯ，フリージャーナリストら５人がイスラム教徒住民に人質となった。幸い後に解放されたが、日本政府は危険情報を出していたにもかかわらずイラク入りした５人を「自己責任をしっかり考えてほしい」と批判した。
これについて私はまず湾岸危機が勃発した直後（１９９０年８月）の個人的な体験から話してみたい。
クウェート侵攻後、イラクは自国の論理を世界に流すため、特定の米系テレビ以外の外国メディアの入国を禁じた。その一方で、クウェート在住の外国人を人質にとり、バグダットへの移送を開始した。世界の耳目がイラクに集まり、各国メディアがどうイラクに入るか腐心していた時、私は苦労なくバグダットに入ったのである。
いまだから話せるが、当時、パリ特派員だった私はパリにあるイラク大使館で記者ビザではなく、観光ビザを入手し、一般人として入国したのである。バグダットの日本大使館に顔を出すと、大使は「邦人を早急に脱出させようとしている時に、逆に入ってきてしまったの」と絶句した。
中東諸国では外国ジャーナリストは記者ビザがなければ取材活動は許されない。当時の緊迫した状況で、私も身柄拘束される可能性があった。大使館のアドバイスで、当局の目が光らない小さなホテルに移り、取材を続け、毎朝、「無事です」と大使館に定時電話を入れた。１週間後、「これ以上は無理」と思い当局に出頭した。こってりしぼられたが、最終的に記者ビザを交付され、引き続き滞在を認められたのである。
今回の日本人人質事件で「自己責任」という言葉が流行りだ。「事件が起きたら自分で責任がとれないような危険な地域には行くべきでない。そうなったらいかに多くの人に迷惑をかけるか知るべきだ」という趣旨だ。
「人に迷惑をかける」という言葉に日本人は弱い。しかしジャーナリストの立場で言えば、イラク国内の実情を知るためには、私なりに状況を見定め、危険度を図りつつ、綱渡りのようなこともせざるを得なかった。「危険な地域の報道は諦める」と単純に割り切れるものではない。宗教的・人道的信念に基づくＮＧＯ活動もそういうところがあるだろう。
これらは時に日本政府の政策と相反したり、政府に気に食わない内容かも知れない。しかし、国際社会のさまざまな領域における多様な日本人の存在と、日本における国際報道の増大は、長期的には①対外的な日本のイメージ向上②日本人の世界理解――という点で、国益に沿うことも押さえておく必要がある。もちろんジャーナリスト、ＮＧＯには最大限の節度と慎重さが求められることは言うまでもない。
私なりに「自己責任」を解釈すれば「他人のせいにしない」ことだ。今回のことで言えば「自衛隊派遣のせいで人質になった」「こうなったのは日本政府のせい」というべきではない。ジャーナリストもＮＧＯも、所与の条件の下で活動するよう運命付けられているのである。
（筆者は毎日新聞社専門編集委員。）
これについて私はまず湾岸危機が勃発した直後（１９９０年８月）の個人的な体験から話してみたい。
クウェート侵攻後、イラクは自国の論理を世界に流すため、特定の米系テレビ以外の外国メディアの入国を禁じた。その一方で、クウェート在住の外国人を人質にとり、バグダットへの移送を開始した。世界の耳目がイラクに集まり、各国メディアがどうイラクに入るか腐心していた時、私は苦労なくバグダットに入ったのである。
いまだから話せるが、当時、パリ特派員だった私はパリにあるイラク大使館で記者ビザではなく、観光ビザを入手し、一般人として入国したのである。バグダットの日本大使館に顔を出すと、大使は「邦人を早急に脱出させようとしている時に、逆に入ってきてしまったの」と絶句した。
中東諸国では外国ジャーナリストは記者ビザがなければ取材活動は許されない。当時の緊迫した状況で、私も身柄拘束される可能性があった。大使館のアドバイスで、当局の目が光らない小さなホテルに移り、取材を続け、毎朝、「無事です」と大使館に定時電話を入れた。１週間後、「これ以上は無理」と思い当局に出頭した。こってりしぼられたが、最終的に記者ビザを交付され、引き続き滞在を認められたのである。
今回の日本人人質事件で「自己責任」という言葉が流行りだ。「事件が起きたら自分で責任がとれないような危険な地域には行くべきでない。そうなったらいかに多くの人に迷惑をかけるか知るべきだ」という趣旨だ。
「人に迷惑をかける」という言葉に日本人は弱い。しかしジャーナリストの立場で言えば、イラク国内の実情を知るためには、私なりに状況を見定め、危険度を図りつつ、綱渡りのようなこともせざるを得なかった。「危険な地域の報道は諦める」と単純に割り切れるものではない。宗教的・人道的信念に基づくＮＧＯ活動もそういうところがあるだろう。
これらは時に日本政府の政策と相反したり、政府に気に食わない内容かも知れない。しかし、国際社会のさまざまな領域における多様な日本人の存在と、日本における国際報道の増大は、長期的には①対外的な日本のイメージ向上②日本人の世界理解――という点で、国益に沿うことも押さえておく必要がある。もちろんジャーナリスト、ＮＧＯには最大限の節度と慎重さが求められることは言うまでもない。
私なりに「自己責任」を解釈すれば「他人のせいにしない」ことだ。今回のことで言えば「自衛隊派遣のせいで人質になった」「こうなったのは日本政府のせい」というべきではない。ジャーナリストもＮＧＯも、所与の条件の下で活動するよう運命付けられているのである。
（筆者は毎日新聞社専門編集委員。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟