Japanese reporter denied new passport after returning from Syrian captivity: reports

After being freed in October 2018, Yasuda was brought to the Turkish border and then transported to Japan, where he applied for a new passport — his old one was taken by his captors, Syrian anti-government militants.

According to the NHK broadcaster, Yasuda's application was rejected due to the fact that Turkey had denied him entry. The journalist thinks that the ministry's decision has severely restricted his basic human rights, arguing that a ban from entering one country cannot imply a ban on leaving Japan. Yasuda has also said he intends to ensure that an investigation is launched.

Yasuda entered Syria via Turkey in early July 2015 as an independent journalist in order to cover the murder of fellow Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who was killed by members of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) in early 2015. Yasuda was taken captive in summer 2015 in areas controlled by anti-government groups. According to the journalist, he was kept in the Idlib province in a cramped room where he could not fully get up or lie down. Negotiations for his release started after a video of Yasuda's pleas for help appeared online in 2018.

Syrian militants responsible for Goto's execution said that they would hunt the Japanese journalists down "wherever they are" after Tokyo promised to provide the countries affected by the Islamic State with financial assistance. In response, the Japanese Foreign Ministry recommended that its citizens refrain from traveling to Syria.