Japan offers Bangladesh help to battle terrorism after hostage crisis

Japan has said it will stand by Bangladesh in its drive to free hostages, including Japanese nationals, taken at a cafe in Dhaka.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking to reporters at his office in Tokyo on Saturday morning local time, termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’.

He also expressed eagerness to provide any kind of help to suppress terrorism.

Abe said the Japanese embassy in Dhaka was ordered to rescue the Japanese nationals alive from the hostage situation.

The Japanese premier said he had also asked the Bangladesh government to take any kind of step to tackle the crisis.

He has cancelled his tour to Hokkaido scheduled for Saturday.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said his country had received confirmed reports of several Japanese nationals among the hostages in Dhaka.

He said a team was sent to Bangladesh to help the Japanese embassy in Dhaka and the government resolve the hostage crisis.

He said Japan believed ‘one of their closest friends’ Bangladesh would take all sorts of steps to suppress extremists.
  
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also extended sympathy over the incident.

A total of 906 Japanese nationals are currently in Bangladesh.