Japanese hostages released

Three Japanese hostages held in Iraq have been freed, Arab television station Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.

Jazeera said the three were in good health. They were handed over to the Muslim Clerics Association.

It was not immediately clear if the three Japanese were those taken hostage by an armed group last week, which threatened to kill the hostages if Japan did not withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Japanese authorities said on Thursday they were trying to confirm media reports that two more Japanese civilians had been kidnapped near Baghdad.

The three Japanese taken hostage last week are Noriaki Imai, 18, who wanted to look into the effects of depleted uranium weapons, freelance journalist Soichiro Koriyama, 32, and aid worker Nahoko Takato, 34.

Their families had clung to hopes that their loved ones would be released, even though the killing of an Italian captive raised new fears for their safety.
Japan, like Italy, has been a staunch supporter of the United States in Iraq and both have resolved to stand firm.

But the worsening security situation in southern Iraq has fuelled calls to withdraw the troops, whose activities are limited by Japanese law to "non-combat zones".

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has repeatedly said he will not pull out the 550 Japanese soldiers engaged in a reconstruction and humanitarian mission in Samawa, southern Iraq, despite the militants' threats.