ニュース 2015/01/28 3rd meeting of information liaison committee regarding captured Japanese held On January 28, the DPJ held a third meeting of its Information Liaison Committee on Japanese Citizens Held Captive in Syria at party headquarters, in response to developments in the hostage situation. The second meeting of the Liaison Committee had been held on January 25. President Katsuya Okada and other members of the party executive heard explanations of the current state of affairs from government officials and discussed the matter. Following the meeting, Okada told reporters, “We deliberately refrained from asking about the exchanges with the Jordanian government, and the explanation we received did not extend beyond the information which has been reported in the media.” He added, “I fully understand that the government is doing its utmost to reach out to all the relevant parties, with the safe return of Mr. Goto to Japan being of top priority, and I would like to continue to keep a close eye on this process.” In the wake of the Prime Minister’s revelation that the government had already established a taskforce relating to this incident in November of last year, a reporter asked Okada whether the government’s response to the incidents and negotiations regarding it should be investigated. Okada responded, “I believe that is something which we must consider once things have settled down somewhat. Some people have been arguing that we should debate the issue in the Diet today or tomorrow, but I decided that, considering the circumstances, it would be better for us to proceed more cautiously.”