Kenji Goto (後藤 健二, Gotō Kenji, 23 October 1967 – c. 31 January 2015) was a Japanese freelance video journalist covering wars and conflicts, refugees, poverty, AIDS, and child education around the world.[1] In October 2014, he was captured and held hostage by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants after entering Syria in the hopes of rescuing Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa. On 30 January 2015, he was beheaded by his captors led by Jihadi John following the breakdown of negotiations for his release.[2][3]
Goto was born on 23 October 1967 in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.[4] After graduating from Hosei University in Tokyo in 1991, he worked for a media production company before establishing Independent Press in 1996. He also worked with U.N. organizations including UNICEF and the U.N. Refugee Agency.[5]
Reporting from war-torn countries around the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East, he focused on the life and humanity of the ordinary citizens in difficult times. His works include books and DVDs on blood diamonds and child soldiers in Sierra Leone, the Rwandan conflict and its survivors, a teenage mother in an Estonian "AIDS village", and girls and education in Afghanistan. In 2006, he won the Sankei Children's Book Award for his 2005 book titled Daiyamondo yori Heiwa ga Hoshii (I Want Peace Rather Than a Diamond).[6] His video reports appeared on Japanese national networks including NHK and TV Asahi.
In October 2014, Goto's wife, Rinko Jogo, had a baby, the couple's second child.[7] He also had an older daughter from a previous marriage.[7]
Kidnapping and beheading
Despite being warned three times by the Japanese government in September and October 2014, both by telephone and in person, not to return to Syria,[9] Goto entered Syria on 24 October 2014 via Turkey to rescue a Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, who had been captured by Islamic State (ISIL) militants in August.[8][10][11] He was reportedly captured by ISIL members the following day.[11] He appeared in a video released by ISIL militants on 20 January 2015, in which they demanded $200 million from the government of Japan for the lives of Goto and Yukawa.[12] His mother, Junko Ishidō (石堂 順子, Ishidō Junko),[13] made a plea to ISIL to spare her son at a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on 23 January.[14]
On 24 January, ISIL released a picture of Goto holding a photo of decapitated Haruna Yukawa. In an audiotape accompanying the picture, Goto read a message in English blaming the Japanese government for the death of his "cellmate" and claiming that ISIL would spare Goto's life and exchange him for Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, an attempted suicide bomber who participated in the 2005 Amman bombings. On 29 January, Goto's wife, Rinko Jogo, released a plea to his captors through the Rory Peck Trust, a UK-based organization that supports freelance journalists.[15]
On 31 January 2015, ISIL released a video that showed Goto being beheaded.[16] It was later reported that he had been moved to the town of Tal Abyad near the Turkish border with Syria on 29 January in preparation for a possible exchange with al-Rishawi, but when it became apparent that the exchange would not be taking place, he was taken back to a location near the city of Raqqa in Syria, and killed on the morning of 30 January, local time.[11][17] Al-Rishawi for her part was hanged by the Jordanian government on 5 February in response to the death of pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh.[18]
Media coverage
Following the release of Goto's beheading video by ISIL on 31 January, many major Japanese television outlets, including NHK, Nippon Television, TBS, Fuji Television, and TV Asahi, suspended their normal programming schedules to provide breaking news coverage on this event. Some foreign media outlets noted a rather skeptical and critical response by the Japanese public regarding the two hostages.[19] The Japanese public responded in a similar way to three Japanese citizens who were also taken hostage in Iraq. Public outrage of their naïveté compelled the Japanese government to bill them for their return airfare to Japan after their release. The general public sentiment in Japan towards these hostages has been that they are to be blamed for putting themselves deliberately in harm's way, while the Japanese government and taxpayers are pressured to pay the price to get them back.[20]
Remembrance
Before Goto was murdered, a tweet he posted to Twitter in 2010 went viral. As of 8 February 2015[update], it had been re-tweeted more than 40,000 times. In it, Goto said, "Close your eyes. Bear it. If we become angry and yell, we are doomed. This is like prayer. Hate is not what humans should do. Judgement lies with God. That is what I learned from my Arab brothers." (目を閉じて、じっと我慢。怒ったら、怒鳴ったら、終わり。それは祈りに近い。憎むは人の業にあらず、裁きは神の領域。－そう教えてくれたのはアラブの兄弟たちだった。)[21]
Bibliography
Daiyamondo yori Heiwa ga Hoshii: Kodomo Heishi Muria no Kokuhaku (ダイヤモンドより平和がほしい : 子ども兵士・ムリアの告白, English translation: We Want Peace Not Diamonds: A Confession by Child Soldier Muria) (July 2005, Choubunsha Publishing), ISBN9784811380018
Eizu no Mura ni Umarete: Inochi o Tsunagu 16-sai no Haha Natasha (エイズの村に生まれて : 命をつなぐ16歳の母・ナターシャ, English translation: Born in an AIDS Village: 16-year-old Mother Natasha Trying to Stay Alive) (December 2007, Choubunsha Publishing), ISBN9784811384740
Ruwanda no Inori: Naisen o Ikinobita Kazoku no Monogatari (ルワンダの祈り : 内戦を生きのびた家族の物語, English translation: Prayers of Rwanda: The Story of a Family Surviving Civil War) (December 2008, Choubunsha Publishing), ISBN9784811384979
Moshimo Gakkō ni Iketara: Afuganisutan no Shōjo Mariamu no Monogatari (もしも学校に行けたら : アフガニスタンの少女・マリアムの物語, English translation: If I Could Go to School: The Story of Afghanistan Girl Mariam) (December 2009, Choubunsha Publishing), ISBN9784811386119
^後藤 健二 [Kenji Goto] (in Japanese). Independent Press. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
^"Japan outraged at IS 'beheading' of hostage Kenji Goto". BBC News. BBC. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
^Dawber, Alistair; Charter, David; Spencer, Richard. "'Beatle' Isis killer Alexanda Kotey pleads guilty in US". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
^Keleny, Anne (3 February 2015). "Kenji Goto: Journalist murdered in Syria who highlighted the horrors of war by focusing on its effects on children and families". The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
^Yamaguchi, Mari (22 January 2015). "How the lives of hostages Yukawa and Goto became intertwined". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
^Yoshida, Reiji (20 January 2015). "Islamic State threatens to kill two Japanese hostages". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
^ abcSlodkowski, Antoni (21 January 2015). "Japanese reporter's bid to save friend led to Islamic State abduction". Tokyo: Reuters. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
^ abKameda, Masaaki; Otake, Tomoko (22 January 2015). "Respected journalist Goto aims to tell world of Syrians' suffering". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. p. 1. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
^Sekiguchi, Toko (3 February 2015). "Japan Says It Warned Goto Against Entering Syria". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
^Justin, McCurry. "Mother of Japanese Isis hostage Kenji Goto makes tearful appeal". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
^ abc"Goto's final days saw him swapped between Islamic State factions". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
^. AP. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
^"後藤健二さんの母・石堂順子さん「日本はイスラム諸国の敵ではない」イスラム国に人質釈放を訴える." Huffington Post. 23 January 2015. Retrieved on 2 March 2015.
^McCurry, Justin (23 January 2015). "Mother of Japanese Isis hostage Kenji Goto makes tearful appeal". The Guardian. Tokyo: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
^Hjelmgaard, Kim (30 January 2015). "With fate of ISIS hostages in limbo, wife issues emotional plea". USA Today. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
^McCurry, Justin (31 January 2015). "Isis video purports to show beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
^ [Goto killed on 30th, Pilot too, according to Jordanian expert]. 47 News (in Japanese). Japan: Press Net Japan Co.,Ltd. 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
^"Jordan Executes Two Prisoners to Avenge ISIS Murder of Pilot". NBC News. NBC Universal. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
^"Japan Should Not Turn Inward After ISIS Beheading". Newsweek. 26 January 2015.
^Ripley, Will; Wakatsuki, Yoko (25 January 2015). "ISIS' Japanese hostages receive mixed sympathy at home". CNN. Tokyo: Cable News Network. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
^GMT (7 February 2015). "'Hate Is Not What Humans Should Do': Slain Journalist Kenji Goto's Words Live On Online · Global Voices". Globalvoices.org. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
kenji, goto, 後藤, 健二, gotō, kenji, october, 1967, january, 2015, japanese, freelance, video, journalist, covering, wars, conflicts, refugees, poverty, aids, child, education, around, world, october, 2014, captured, held, hostage, islamic, state, iraq, syria, is. Kenji Goto 後藤 健二 Gotō Kenji 23 October 1967 c 31 January 2015 was a Japanese freelance video journalist covering wars and conflicts refugees poverty AIDS and child education around the world 1 In October 2014 he was captured and held hostage by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ISIS militants after entering Syria in the hopes of rescuing Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa On 30 January 2015 he was beheaded by his captors led by Jihadi John following the breakdown of negotiations for his release 2 3 Kenji Goto後藤 健二Born 1967 10 23 23 October 1967Sendai Miyagi Prefecture JapanDied31 January 2015 2015 01 31 aged 47 Near Raqqa SyriaCause of deathMurder by decapitationNationalityJapaneseAlma materHosei UniversityOccupationJournalistYears active1991 2015SpouseRinko JogoChildren3ParentJunko Ishido mother Contents 1 Biography 2 Kidnapping and beheading 3 Media coverage 4 Remembrance 5 Bibliography 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksBiography EditGoto was born on 23 October 1967 in the city of Sendai Miyagi Prefecture Japan 4 After graduating from Hosei University in Tokyo in 1991 he worked for a media production company before establishing Independent Press in 1996 He also worked with U N organizations including UNICEF and the U N Refugee Agency 5 Reporting from war torn countries around the world especially in Africa and the Middle East he focused on the life and humanity of the ordinary citizens in difficult times His works include books and DVDs on blood diamonds and child soldiers in Sierra Leone the Rwandan conflict and its survivors a teenage mother in an Estonian AIDS village and girls and education in Afghanistan In 2006 he won the Sankei Children s Book Award for his 2005 book titled Daiyamondo yori Heiwa ga Hoshii I Want Peace Rather Than a Diamond 6 His video reports appeared on Japanese national networks including NHK and TV Asahi Goto converted to Christianity in 1997 7 and was a member of a United Church of Christ in Japan parish in Den en chōfu Tokyo 8 In October 2014 Goto s wife Rinko Jogo had a baby the couple s second child 7 He also had an older daughter from a previous marriage 7 Kidnapping and beheading EditDespite being warned three times by the Japanese government in September and October 2014 both by telephone and in person not to return to Syria 9 Goto entered Syria on 24 October 2014 via Turkey to rescue a Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa who had been captured by Islamic State ISIL militants in August 8 10 11 He was reportedly captured by ISIL members the following day 11 He appeared in a video released by ISIL militants on 20 January 2015 in which they demanded 200 million from the government of Japan for the lives of Goto and Yukawa 12 His mother Junko Ishidō 石堂 順子 Ishidō Junko 13 made a plea to ISIL to spare her son at a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo on 23 January 14 On 24 January ISIL released a picture of Goto holding a photo of decapitated Haruna Yukawa In an audiotape accompanying the picture Goto read a message in English blaming the Japanese government for the death of his cellmate and claiming that ISIL would spare Goto s life and exchange him for Sajida Mubarak Atrous al Rishawi an attempted suicide bomber who participated in the 2005 Amman bombings On 29 January Goto s wife Rinko Jogo released a plea to his captors through the Rory Peck Trust a UK based organization that supports freelance journalists 15 On 31 January 2015 ISIL released a video that showed Goto being beheaded 16 It was later reported that he had been moved to the town of Tal Abyad near the Turkish border with Syria on 29 January in preparation for a possible exchange with al Rishawi but when it became apparent that the exchange would not be taking place he was taken back to a location near the city of Raqqa in Syria and killed on the morning of 30 January local time 11 17 Al Rishawi for her part was hanged by the Jordanian government on 5 February in response to the death of pilot Muath Al Kasasbeh 18 Media coverage EditFollowing the release of Goto s beheading video by ISIL on 31 January many major Japanese television outlets including NHK Nippon Television TBS Fuji Television and TV Asahi suspended their normal programming schedules to provide breaking news coverage on this event Some foreign media outlets noted a rather skeptical and critical response by the Japanese public regarding the two hostages 19 The Japanese public responded in a similar way to three Japanese citizens who were also taken hostage in Iraq Public outrage of their naivete compelled the Japanese government to bill them for their return airfare to Japan after their release The general public sentiment in Japan towards these hostages has been that they are to be blamed for putting themselves deliberately in harm s way while the Japanese government and taxpayers are pressured to pay the price to get them back 20 Remembrance EditBefore Goto was murdered a tweet he posted to Twitter in 2010 went viral As of 8 February 2015 update it had been re tweeted more than 40 000 times In it Goto said Close your eyes Bear it If we become angry and yell we are doomed This is like prayer Hate is not what humans should do Judgement lies with God That is what I learned from my Arab brothers 目を閉じて じっと我慢 怒ったら 怒鳴ったら 終わり それは祈りに近い 憎むは人の業にあらず 裁きは神の領域 そう教えてくれたのはアラブの兄弟たちだった 21 Bibliography EditDaiyamondo yori Heiwa ga Hoshii Kodomo Heishi Muria no Kokuhaku ダイヤモンドより平和がほしい 子ども兵士 ムリアの告白 English translation We Want Peace Not Diamonds A Confession by Child Soldier Muria July 2005 Choubunsha Publishing ISBN 9784811380018 Eizu no Mura ni Umarete Inochi o Tsunagu 16 sai no Haha Natasha エイズの村に生まれて 命をつなぐ16歳の母 ナターシャ English translation Born in an AIDS Village 16 year old Mother Natasha Trying to Stay Alive December 2007 Choubunsha Publishing ISBN 9784811384740 Ruwanda no Inori Naisen o Ikinobita Kazoku no Monogatari ルワンダの祈り 内戦を生きのびた家族の物語 English translation Prayers of Rwanda The Story of a Family Surviving Civil War December 2008 Choubunsha Publishing ISBN 9784811384979 Moshimo Gakkō ni Iketara Afuganisutan no Shōjo Mariamu no Monogatari もしも学校に行けたら アフガニスタンの少女 マリアムの物語 English translation If I Could Go to School The Story of Afghanistan Girl Mariam December 2009 Choubunsha Publishing ISBN 9784811386119See also Edit Japan portal Biography portalISIL beheading incidents Shosei Koda a Japanese citizen kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq in 2004 Notable Japanese Christians List of Christian martyrsReferences Edit 後藤 健二 Kenji Goto in Japanese Independent Press Retrieved 20 January 2015 Japan outraged at IS beheading of hostage Kenji Goto BBC News BBC 1 February 2015 Retrieved 4 September 2021 Dawber Alistair Charter David Spencer Richard Beatle Isis killer Alexanda Kotey pleads guilty in US The Times ISSN 0140 0460 Retrieved 4 September 2021 Keleny Anne 3 February 2015 Kenji Goto Journalist murdered in Syria who highlighted the horrors of war by focusing on its effects on children and families The Independent Retrieved 15 November 2015 Yamaguchi Mari 22 January 2015 How the lives of hostages Yukawa and Goto became intertwined The Japan Times Japan The Japan Times Ltd Retrieved 22 January 2015 Yoshida Reiji 20 January 2015 Islamic State threatens to kill two Japanese hostages The Japan Times Japan The Japan Times Ltd Retrieved 22 January 2015 a b c Slodkowski Antoni 21 January 2015 Japanese reporter s bid to save friend led to Islamic State abduction Tokyo Reuters Retrieved 23 January 2015 a b Kameda Masaaki Otake Tomoko 22 January 2015 Respected journalist Goto aims to tell world of Syrians suffering The Japan Times Japan The Japan Times Ltd p 1 Retrieved 22 January 2015 Sekiguchi Toko 3 February 2015 Japan Says It Warned Goto Against Entering Syria The Wall Street Journal Dow Jones amp Company Inc Retrieved 5 February 2015 Justin McCurry Mother of Japanese Isis hostage Kenji Goto makes tearful appeal The Guardian Retrieved 24 January 2015 a b c Goto s final days saw him swapped between Islamic State factions The Japan Times Japan The Japan Times Ltd 3 February 2015 Retrieved 5 February 2015 Japanese premier vows to save Islamic State group hostages AP 20 January 2015 Archived from the original on 21 January 2015 Retrieved 20 January 2015 後藤健二さんの母 石堂順子さん 日本はイスラム諸国の敵ではない イスラム国に人質釈放を訴える Huffington Post 23 January 2015 Retrieved on 2 March 2015 McCurry Justin 23 January 2015 Mother of Japanese Isis hostage Kenji Goto makes tearful appeal The Guardian Tokyo Guardian News and Media Limited Retrieved 24 January 2015 Hjelmgaard Kim 30 January 2015 With fate of ISIS hostages in limbo wife issues emotional plea USA Today Retrieved 31 January 2015 McCurry Justin 31 January 2015 Isis video purports to show beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto The Guardian Guardian News and Media Limited Retrieved 1 February 2015 後藤さん30日に殺害の情報 操縦士も ヨルダン専門家 Goto killed on 30th Pilot too according to Jordanian expert 47 News in Japanese Japan Press Net Japan Co Ltd 1 February 2015 Archived from the original on 23 February 2015 Retrieved 1 March 2015 Jordan Executes Two Prisoners to Avenge ISIS Murder of Pilot NBC News NBC Universal 4 February 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2019 Japan Should Not Turn Inward After ISIS Beheading Newsweek 26 January 2015 Ripley Will Wakatsuki Yoko 25 January 2015 ISIS Japanese hostages receive mixed sympathy at home CNN Tokyo Cable News Network Retrieved 16 April 2016 GMT 7 February 2015 Hate Is Not What Humans Should Do Slain Journalist Kenji Goto s Words Live On Online Global Voices Globalvoices org Retrieved 23 May 2015 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Kenji Goto Independent Press in Japanese Kenji Goto on Twitter Kenji Goto at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kenji Goto amp oldid 1104860393, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
