was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped while touring Iraq and later beheaded in October 2004 by

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

's group,

al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

. He was the first Japanese person beheaded in Iraq.

Early life and education

Koda was born on 29 November 1979, in

Nōgata, Fukuoka is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 55,151 in 27684 households, and a population density of 890 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Nōgata is locat ...

. Koda's parents, Setsuko Koda and Masumi Koda, were members of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

."Death Not in Vain: Son of Japanese Christian Parents Kidnapped and Killed by Militants in Baghdad."
Japan Christian Activity News Fall/Winter 2004
'.
Archive
National Christian Council in Japan. ISSN 0021-4353. Number 737 (Northern Hemisphere) Fall/Winter 2004. 6 (6/20). Retrieved on 7 March 2011. Due to Koda's family affiliation with the United Church of Christ, a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

was inscribed upon his arm. The family was from

, a small southern city in Japan, and his mother was a nurse. Koda dropped out of high school in his junior year before he started working as an interior painter until 2002.

Kidnapping and death

Koda left

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

on 20 October 2004. He ignored advice not to travel to Iraq, and entered the country, because he was curious as to what happened there. Koda's captors stated that they would "treat him like his predecessors

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...

and Bigley" (Bigley was murdered just weeks before by the organization, before it became known as Al Qaeda in Iraq) if Japan did not withdraw its forces from Iraq within 48 hours. The

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

headed by Prime Minister

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ...

refused to comply with these demands, stating that they will not concede to terrorists.Roberts, Joel.
Report: Japanese Hostage Killed

Archive
. ''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

''. 29 October 2004. Retrieved on 7 March 2011. In the video sequence of Koda's murder, Koda sits on the

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

, his captors standing behind him. Koda's hands are tied behind his back. He is blindfolded while a captor reads out a statement for two minutes and ten seconds. The captors then hold him down on the ground as they begin to decapitate him. Throughout the beheading, "Erhaby Ana ( English: I am a Terrorist)", a nasheed, is played. The video sequence ends with shots of Koda's severed head on top of his body followed by shots of the banner of

. His body was found in Baghdad on 30 October wrapped in an American flag.

Aftermath

Koda's body was returned to Japan. He was given a Christian funeral. The events provoked mixed responses in Japan; while many Japanese citizens were angered and appalled by the murder, some blamed the victim for not heeding the travel advisory and others criticized the Koizumi administration.Simkin, Mark.
Mixed reaction to Japanese beheading in Iraq

. ''

Lateline ''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...

''. 1 November 2004. Retrieved on 7 March 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koda, Shosei 1979 births 2004 deaths 2004 murders in Iraq Beheading videos Deaths by decapitation Filmed executions in Iraq Foreign hostages in Iraq Iraq–Japan relations Islamism-related beheadings Japanese people murdered abroad Japanese people of the Iraq War Japanese people taken hostage Japanese terrorism victims People from Nōgata, Fukuoka People killed by al-Qaeda in Iraq People murdered in Iraq Missing person cases in Iraq Terrorism deaths in Iraq

Early life and education

Kidnapping and death

Aftermath

See also

References