A beheaded body found in Baghdad was confirmed as that of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, Japan's Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Sunday.
Speaking at a news conference, Machimura stated the body was identified through a fingerprint match and other physical characteristics.
Machimura called the slaying of the hostage "extremely vicious" and added, "The act of killing an innocent civilian is totally unforgivable."
On Phis part, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Sunday condemned the killing. Speaking to reporters, Koizumi said that Japan will not bow to "terrorists".
According to Kyodo News, chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said later Sunday Japan intends to continue the deployment of Japanese troops in Iraq for reconstruction aid.
Koda's body was found by an Iraqi police officer at around 9 p.m. Saturday Baghdad time on a street in central Baghdad. Both arms were tied behind and the severed head was placed on the victim's back, the police officer said.
Koda, 24, became the fifth Japanese casualty in Iraq following the launch of the U.S.-led war in March last year.
Koda arrived Oct. 21 in Baghdad on a bus from Jordan. The manager of an Amman hotel where Koda stayed said the Japanese national said he wanted to know what was going on in Iraq.
