Reviewing its response to the Algerian hostage crisis last month, the government admitted Thursday it doesn't have enough Arabic-speaking diplomats or military attaches in Africa, making it nearly impossible to gather sufficient intelligence.
According to a 19-page interim report, the embassy in Algeria — the largest African country in terms of area — was staffed with only 13 Japanese nationals and none of them speak Arabic, one of the country's two official languages.
A group of foreign military attaches in Algeria exchanged intelligence during the hostage crisis, but Japan was left out because it had no military attaches there, the report says.