Murder of Japanese Diplomats in Iraq

December 5, 2003

1. The following message was sent by the United States on December 5 regarding the murder of Japanese Diplomats in Iraq.
   (1) As a result of further investigation, it has been confirmed that the Japanese diplomats were not attacked upon alighting their vehicle at a roadside store to purchase food and drink.
   
   (2) Their vehicle was discovered in a roadside ditch, and it was not close to any store.
   
   (3) The initial reports that the vehicle was attacked as it was stopped at the roadside were based on mistaken information provided by a local resident.
   
   
2. United States authorities in Iraq have working as hard as they can to uncover the facts of the incident. Further investigation will continue, but piecing together the information received to date, it seems highly likely that vehicle was attacked as it was driving along the road.
   
   
3. According to the United States, there is no specific information regarding the perpetrators of the attack at this time.