Tokyo, Dec 24 (IANS): A Japanese freelance journalist is reportedly being held by an armed group in Syria, a media report said on Thursday.
Jumpei Yasuda entered Syria from Turkey in June to cover the country's civil war. He was accompanied by a guide, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Yasuda was supposed to return in July but his whereabouts remain unknown.
Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based NGO, said on its website on Tuesday that Yasuda had been kidnapped by an armed group in an area controlled by the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front.
The NGO said those holding Yasuda are demanding a ransom for his release, and called on Japan's government to do everything possible to free him.
Yasuda was a newspaper reporter before turning freelance. He has worked in conflict zones such as Syria and Iraq.
In 2004, he was held for four days in Iraq by local militia.