TOKYO (AFP) — A Japanese college student who was held hostage by bandits in Iran returned home Tuesday, apologised for the trouble he caused and said he was looking forward to his mother's home cooking.
"I am honestly relieved that I have come to touch Japanese soil," Satoshi Nakamura, 23, told reporters in the western city of Osaka, according to Jiji Press.
"I am keenly aware that I have caused serious trouble to people," he said.
Nakamura, who was freed Saturday, was abducted on October 8 by bandits in a restive region of southeast Iran bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan as he headed from his hotel for the ancient mud-built citadel of Bam.
A bandit called Esmail Shahbakhsh, blamed for the kidnapping, had reportedly demanded the release of his arrested son in exchange for Nakamura, according to Iranian officials.
Nakamura said he was not mistreated during eight months of captivity and thanked all those involved in his release.
Sistan Baluchestan province, where Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan come together, has porous borders and is notorious for banditry.
"I think I should have studied more about the region," said Nakamura, who remained apologetic before the media.
He appeared tense but in good health at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt over a black T-shirt, carrying a large backpack.
"I want to eat my mother's dishes and the food of Osaka," he said.
Japan has historically enjoyed warm relations with Iran, although ties have recently soured somewhat as Tokyo backs international efforts to stop Tehran's nuclear drive.
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