The government confirmed Wednesday that Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who was captured by an armed group in Syria three years ago, has been released and is now in Turkey, Foreign Minister Taro Kono announced.
Yasuda is apparently in good health, Kono told reporters at the Foreign Ministry, adding that the government will make arrangements so he can return home as soon as possible.
The official confirmation of the journalist's identity came after Tokyo sent officials from the Japanese Embassy in Ankara to an immigration center in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, where Yasuda had been transported and placed under protection.