Japan confirms seven deaths in Algeria hostage crisis

"Japanese police, meanwhile, have started an investigation into the hostage crisis, said National Public Safety Commission chairman Keiji Furuya."

Uh oh. Following established procedure they'll arrest a dozen or so "Arab-looking-gaijin" on the streets of Shinjuku today. By this time next week, all will have confessed to the murders. Case closed.

Be careful out there.

"Militants"? Dictionary definition: "A person engaged in warfare or combat."

Wrong. These were religious terrorists. And not a single mention in the article of the religion/ideology that regularly inspires this insanity.

The move is based on a provision in Japanese law that allows its law enforcement authorities to investigate offenses committed by foreigners abroad which affect Japanese citizens.

This sentence cracked me up. It's funny how Japanese never perceive themselves as the 'foreigners' when THEY are abroad. Everything is relative to the fatherland I guess. :)p

@Zen student

Everything is relative to the fatherland I guess. :)p

Nothing unique to Japan about this. I'm English, and a French person is a foreigner as far as I'm concerned, whether in England, France or Japan.

Wrong. These were religious terrorists. And not a single mention in the article of the religion/ideology that regularly inspires this insanity.

Listening to a radio show back in the States with the host a former military person who isn't just a yes man for the GOP or a DEM hater, there is a lot that the US missed in Algeria. The Algerians have had to deal with this type of problem in the past. They have a different view on anti-terrorism. Basically, they are "anti-terrorist" in the manner of going after the terrorists themselves and killing them, not really about negotiating with the. The government of Algeria came into power after their terror acts against the French, and don't take too highly of any other terrorist group, pretty much along the lines of "it takes one to know one." This was not a "botched" rescue attempt, this is what the Algerian military had in mind all along. As soon as we in the West understand that, they will see that there was nothing that could have been done otherwise.

The Algerians and the French still have some issues over a hostage situation back in the 90's when some French monks were captured. The Algerian military went in alone, and killed everyone, and said the monks had been beheaded by the terrorists. However, it was later found that they had died in the assualt, and beheaded them after the battle to make it look like the terrorist did it. Pretty much the same thing will probably happen in this case. They have asked for the US/GBR to stop flying drones over the area so that no one can see what is going on. Sending the J-police over there, they will find nothing at all, but it will just be a gesture for the J-govt to look like they aer doing something.

Well if J-cops are to get involved, please Mr.PM send the ones that were recently involved in sexual harrasment, the gropers, the panty theives and the bribe takers..... thanks you.

Japan needs to cut off all charity donations to any group remotely associated with any terrorist orginizations.

If they have a cousin who is part of a terror group then they should not get squat until their cousin is turned in.

Money makes all things possible.