The four-wheel-drive vehicle used by the two Japanese diplomats killed in Iraq on Saturday had a "great number of bullet holes," reflecting the violence of the attack, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Katsuhiko Oku and Masamori Inoue left the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad at around 10 a.m. Saturday to attend a two-day gathering in the northern city of Tikrit on the reconstruction of Iraq.

It is less than a two-hour drive to Tikrit and the two called an embassy official before noon, a ministry official said.

Local people found their bodies at around 5 p.m. and carried them to a nearby hospital. The two were found in the back seat of the bullet-riddled vehicle, the officials said, citing information from the United States.

It is highly likely that the two and the Iraqi driver died from gunshot wounds, the official said.

Although Oku and Inoue usually carried passports for identification, none were found on them when they were carried to the hospital.

Because the vehicle belonged to the embassy, its officials sent pictures of the two to U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority for identification, the official said.

CPA officials, who asked a local tribe to look for their passports, obtained them through the tribal leader. But it was unclear whether members of the tribe had anything to do with the shooting, the official said.

Flaws in security

Saturday's fatal ambush of Japanese diplomats in Iraq revealed that the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad lacked sufficient security to protect its staffers from possible terrorist attacks.

The incident prompted the Foreign Ministry to start reviewing security steps.

Katsuhiko Oku and Masamori Inoue, who were killed in the attack, were heading to a reconstruction conference in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, without security escort, according to the ministry.

A senior ministry official indicated it is difficult to increase the number of security personnel because the local security firm needs to be confident in prospective employees before hiring them to prevent betrayal.

Embassy officials "are normally accompanied by security officials," said the official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. "We don't know if they were wearing bulletproof vests."

Although the vehicle they were using was bulletproof, it's effectiveness in preventing bullets from penetrating is limited, he said.

The ministry will now review its security criteria. Possible changes include making sure that security officials accompany diplomats and increasing the number of bulletproof vehicles, the official said.

It will also review the security situation at the embassy and lodgings where embassy staff are staying.