Facing his toughest political test, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told an anguished Japan on Friday he had no plans to pull troops from Iraq despite a threat by kidnappers there to kill three Japanese civilians.
Tearful families of the three pleaded for the government to withdraw Japan's non-combat troops from the southern Iraqi city of Samawa, where they have been helping to rebuild the area.
Thousands of protesters gathered in a Tokyo park, waving rainbow-coloured peace flags and holding placards reading, "Government: Don't murder the three people. Pull out the troops."
Some analysts said mishandling of the crisis could bring down the government, a prospect that worried financial markets.
"I don't think they can be saved if the government does not consider pulling the troops out. There are only two days left," Kyodo news agency quoted the mother of 18-year-old hostage Noriaki Imai as telling a news conference.
Koizumi, however, said he was not considering withdrawing troops from Samawa, where 550 Japanese soldiers are stationed.
"We should not give in to these despicable threats from terrorists," he told reporters.
He added the government was working to confirm the facts and that if the kidnappings were confirmed, the hostages' safety was the top priority.
Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa was set to arrive in Amman on Saturday to gather information, accompanied by a National Police Agency "Terrorism Response Team". Police would give no details about the unit.
The whereabouts of the three - Imai, who had planned to look into the effects of depleted uranium weapons; aid worker Nahoko Takato, 34; and freelance reporter Soichiro Koriyama, 32 - was unclear.
So was the precise deadline, although a ruling coalition official said it was around 9 pm (1200 GMT) on April 11.
Besides the Japanese, seven South Koreans, a Briton, two Palestinians with Israeli identity cards, and a Canadian were reported to have been taken hostage in recent days. The Koreans were later freed.
US Vice President Dick Cheney, who arrives in Tokyo on Saturday at the beginning of an Asian tour, is expected to urge Washington's allies in the region to stand firm in their commitment to the US-led mission in Iraq.
No Japanese soldier has been killed in combat since 1945, and casualties could affect support for Koizumi's government, whose ruling coalition faces Upper House elections in July.
Organisers said 4,000 demonstrators took part in a rally at Hibiya Park in central Tokyo to call for the troops withdrawal.
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