A Japanese man reportedly detained by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan could be freelance photographer Isamu Iida, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
Shinzo Abe, deputy chief Cabinet secretary, said the government has not yet confirmed the man's identity, but that a Japanese cable news report from Pakistan earlier in the day identified the man as Iida.
"We are still trying to confirm his name as well as his safety," he told reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. "And if the reports are proven true, the government will do its utmost to secure his safety and release."
A senior official at the prime minister's residence said that the detained man's case will not likely affect Japan's stance against the Taliban regime, including Tokyo's support for the U.S.-led strikes in Afghanistan.
It is the first time a Japanese national has been detained by the Islamic fundamentalist regime since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
The Japanese Embassy in Islamabad said earlier it received an unconfirmed report that a Japanese national had entered Afghanistan from Peshawar, Pakistan.
The man may face spying charges and prison as the Taliban has warned that they will treat anyone entering the country without permission the same as U.S. soldiers.
There are currently 22 Japanese journalists in areas controlled by the opposition Northern Alliance, and one Japanese worker at a nongovernmental organization in Kabul, Foreign Ministry officials said.