JAPANESE SAYS U.S. POW'S SEEN IN SRV IN 1988

Created: 6/7/1989

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

KYODO: JAPANESE. PO U" S' SEEM RV In8

OKYO KYODO IH9UN 89

CTEXTJ TOKYO, YODOORMER JAPANESE DETAINEEC-

VIETNAM SAID WEDNESDAY FIVE OR SIX AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR <POWS) WERE STILL IN CAPTIVITY WHEN HE LEFT THE COUNTRY LAST JANUARY.

IWANOBU YOSHIDA,UDDHIST HONK, TOLD KYODO NEWS SERVICE THAT THERE WERE ABOUTMERICAN POWS WHEN HE WAS FIRST DETAINED IN VIETNAM OLITICAL PRISONER IN

YOSHIDA, WHO IS NOW HOSPITALIZED IH SAPPORO, SAID THEY WERE BEING FORCED TO ENGAGE IN CONSTRUCTION WORK.

U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS RECEIVED THE SAME INFORMATION IN TOKYO FROM YOSHIDA'S ELDEST DAUGHTER, KEIKO TAKATSUKA,

"THE REPORTS ARE NOT UNBELIEVABLE. THERE IS NO REASON TOSTORY AND HER. OFFICIAL UHO UkCHUk'b TO"A

"WE'LL SEND ALL REPORTS AND MATERIALS TO. TO BE STUDIED BY EXPERTS. WE WILL HOT ASSESS OR VERIFY THE REPORTS HERE, THOUGH THEY ARE VERY IHTEREST1HG, ** THE OFFICIAL SAID.

TAKATSUKA QUOTED YOSHIDA AS SAYIHG HE SPENT THE LAST SEVENHEREP0WSE ENGLISH AND CALLED HZH

THE FOREIGN DETAINEES WERE CALLED AMERICANS BY VIETNAMESE POLITICAL PRISONERS THERE. ONE OF THEM HELPED YOSHIDA WALK ON DISCOVERING HE HAD LEG TROUBLE, TAKATSUKA SAID.

YOSHIDA. OLITICIAN TURNED BUDDHIST PRIEST, EMIGRATED TO VIETNAM IN6 AND WAS GRANTED CITIZENSHIP BY THE THEH GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH VIETNAM HE WAS DETAINEDOLITICAL PRISONER AFTER THE FALL OF SOUTH VIETNAM IN5 AND SPENT MORE THAN EARS IH CAPTIVITY. HE RETURNED TO JAPAN LAST JANUARY.

THE VIETNAMESE EMBASSY IN TOKYO REFUTED YOSHIDA'S REMARKS AND SAID THAT A3 THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAS REPEATEDLY STATED IN THE PAST, THERE ARE NO AMERICAN SOLDIERS LIVIMG IN THE COUNTRY.

EMBASSY OFFICIALS SAID THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT AMERICAN POWS ARE STILL BEIHG HELD IH VIETNAM.

. GOVERNMENT HAS INSISTED ON THE POSSIBILITY THAT AMERICAN WAR PRISONERS ARE STILL BEING DETAINED IN VIETNAM AND HAS DEMANDED HANOI PROVIDE INFORMATION CONCERHING AMERICAN POWS.

YOSHIDA SAID HE HAS NO DETAILS ABOUT THE AMERICAN PRISONERS 6ECAUSE THEY WERE DETAINEDEPARATE BUILDING.

HE SAID HE WAS NOT IN DIRECT VERBAL COHTACT WITH THE AMERICANS BECAUSE HE COULD NOT SPEAK EHGLISH.

JD NNNN

Pate-

Original document.

---

---