Journalist Goto Kenji
As Japan mourns the tragic deaths of Yukawa Haruna and Goto Kenji at the hands of ISIS, a member of the Japanese government revealed that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had made three attempts to prevent Goto from traveling to Syria in autumn last year.
When MOFA realized Goto’s intentions, they apparently made several telephone calls and set up a direct meeting with the journalist advising him not to go ahead with his travel plans. Seko Hiroshige, the government minister who revealed the attempts to stop Goto, further added that the government was responsible for not being able to protect Goto from harm.
But 2ch netizens take a much harder line, claiming that it was Goto who was responsible for his own fate.
From Mainichi Shimbun:
Goto Kenji: “Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Requested A Total Of Three Times That He Cancel Trip To Syria” Says Seko
On January 2, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige revealed on a BS Fuji TV program that between September and October last year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) requested a total three times that Goto Kenji cancel his trip to Syria. Goto is assumed to have been killed by the Islamic extremist organization “Islamic State” (ISIS).
According to a government spokesperson, when MOFA caught wind of Goto’s travel plans, they telephoned him twice and met directly with him once, to request that he cancel his trip. However, after Goto entered Syria in late October, he went missing. Seko stated with regard to this that “The government takes responsibility for not being able to save his life. It is not helpful to say that it was Goto’s own responsibility”. [Takahashi Katsuya]
Comments from 2ch.net:
栓抜き攻撃(東京都)＠＼(^o^)／:
Yeeaaah, so it was his own responsibility.
リキラリアット(北海道)＠＼(^o^)／:
Rather than it being his own fault, it was selfish, egotistical.
グロリア(チベット自治区)＠＼(^o^)／:
Far from being heroic, he was unpatriotic.
チキンウィングフェースロック(禿)＠＼(^o^)／:
They should have stopped him even if it meant killing him.
ボ ラギノール(家)＠＼(^o^)／:
You know, I bow to him for thinking that journalism is a vocation, and for risking his life to do what he did.
He was prepared to be captured.
It’s just all really regrettable.
ファイヤーバードスプラッシュ(千葉県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Nah, nah, he caused massive bother for Japan, which is now involved in all this, and especially for Jordan, too.
Can’t help but wonder why he went into the tiger’s cage.
ミッドナイトエクスプレス(東京都)＠＼(^o^)／:
Umm, I don’t really get why in the last sentence Seko says this was the government’s responsibility. Can someone tell me why it was?
ドラゴンスクリュー(禿)＠＼(^o^)／: [in response to above]
Yeah, I can tell you why. Because if someone from the government said that it was Goto’s own fault, then there’d be a sure-fire resignation coming.
ランサルセ(dion軍)＠＼(^o^)／:
Even though he’d just had a child, why did he go at such a time?
I want someone to give me details on that.
不知火(千葉県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Wasn’t it that it was his ambition to be killed?
タイガースープレックス(大阪府)＠＼(^o^)／:
Because of this guy’s selfishness,
he’s caused a nuisance for Japan’s diplomacy, and wasted our tax money.
They should sue him for damages.
ファイナルカット(東京都)＠＼(^o^)／:
That’s a region where there is a high possibility that you’ll get killed if you go there, but I guess you go there because you wanna get rich quick.
マシンガンチョップ(家)＠＼(^o^)／:
Well, under the law they couldn’t have forcibly stopped him from going.
Seldom you see a situation where the words “self-responsibility” are more fitting.
ローリングソバット(栃木県)＠＼(^o^)／:
None of this is the government’s responsibility, MOFA did its job.
張り手(家)＠＼(^o^)／:
Goto wasn’t all that different from Yukawa at the end of the day.
ジャーマンスープレックス(兵庫県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Seriously, this was his own fault.
Fools gonna die.
