Fresh from his release in Afghanistan, freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka said Tuesday in Tokyo he was probably freed after five months in captivity because his abductors' demands for ransom failed.
"I always spent time with them, and I didn't see any indication of success" that the militants were able to extort a payment, Tsuneoka, 41, told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Tsuneoka was taken prisoner April 1 in northern Afghanistan and was released Saturday.