WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP) - The United States on Monday condemned the beheading of a Japanese tourist by militants in Iraq as a "heinous crime" and hailed Tokyo's rejection of terrorist demands to withdraw troops from the insurgency-wracked nation.
Deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said there was no justification for the beheading, which he added "violated the tenets of every faith."
Shosei Koda's head and decapitated body were found in Baghdad on Saturday after Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi refused demands by Al-Qaeda-linked militants to withdraw Japan's troops from Iraq.
Ereli condemned the beheading of 24-year-old Koda "in the strongest possible terms," saying "the perpetrators of this act are really outside the pale and betray the beliefs that they purport to act according to."
He said that while the United States sent its "heartfelt sympathies" to Koda's family and friends, it strongly supported Japan's rejection of terrorist demands and "deeply appreciate its steadfast commitment to assisting the Iraqi people in building a peaceful and prosperous society."
Koda's beheading and the closely fought US presidential election have injected new caution into Tokyo's debate on whether to extend its historic troop deployment in Iraq.
Japan has 550 troops in southern Iraq on a non-combat mission and the cabinet must decide whether to extend the one-year mission past December 14.
Analysts said Koizumi would wait until after the US presidential election Tuesday and see how other nations with forces in Iraq react before committing Japan to another year.
11/01/2004 22:41 GMT - AFP