Opinion

Just a little more compassion

By Tony Laszlo

The five Japanese who had been held hostage in Iraq recently have met with waves of criticism from the Japanese public, media and government. The disparagement began when they were still in captivity, and has yet to let up. They have been chastised as young and reckless fools who had no business being in Iraq.

Two of the five were journalists. Think, for a moment, of the word "Iraq" and let your mind replay the various images of war: the deafening roar of artillery and missiles; doctors shaking their heads helplessly in hospital wards filled with the sound of people screaming; entire families stumbling for cover as vehicles and buildings are leveled all around.

Your mind is forming those mental pictures based on information transmitted by the mass media. Ever think about where the images actually originate from? They come from journalists who work amidst the bullets, the bombs and the bodies so that we on the outside may, in the comfort of our homes, absorb the latest movements on the evening news, arranged for us nicely by our favorite media personalities with a word from the sponsors thrown in.

Journalism is a dangerous business, especially journalism that covers war. Thirty-six journalists lost their lives while on the job last year. Thirteen of them were killed in Iraq. In just the first four months of this year, 18 more have already died - 12 of them in Iraq alone. One does not have to be young and reckless to fall victim; veteran journalists are among those wounded, captured and killed.

War photographer Kyoichi Sawada is remembered fondly in Japan. Some would call him a legend. When he failed to persuade his news agency to send him to photograph the war in Vietnam, the 29-year-old Sawada took a leave of absence and went in on his own, where he proceeded to create some of the most precious records of that war.

While this move might be called headstrong or even reckless, it gave us some of the most important images of that war, and led to his winning of the Pulitzer Prize. Is there such a difference between Sawada in 1965 and the two young journalists who were among the hostages taken in Iraq?

Let's look at the other three people who were taken hostage. These people had entered the country to engage in watchdog and relief activities. Like the journalists, they also had their own strong motivations for being in the combat area and hadn't set out with the intention to be a public menace.

Even in a war zone there is a place for various kinds of civic activity. One certainly does not have to be with the Red Cross to have a legitimate reason to be in the area.

According to a psychiatrist's remarks, some of the five hostages have endured more stress after their return to Japan than during their ordeal in Iraq. Think about that. The public scorn was worse than the experience of being captive in another land, wondering if and when one is going to die! If not a heroes' welcome, didn't they deserve just a bit more compassion?

Shukan ST: May 14, 2004

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