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 "Hello, I am Jumpei Yasuda. Today is my birthday, 16 March," the
bearded man said on the video, posted on Facebook.
The man, sitting at a table in front of a white wall, said he missed
his family but could not be with them. The man, who was dressed in a
dark sweater with a scarf, mostly seemed calm as he spoke in English
in the one-minute video but occasionally paused with emotion.
Japanese media said Yasuda was captured by Nusra Front after
entering Syria from Turkey in June. Public broadcaster NHK said it
had spoken by phone with the man who posted the video, who said he
had received it from someone seeking Yasuda's release.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the man in the video
appeared to be Yasuda.
 "The safety of Japanese citizens is one of our most important duties
and we are gathering information and making all possible efforts to
respond," Suga told a news conference, declining to give details.
He added that the government was not aware that any ransom request
had been made.
The Islamic State militant group beheaded two Japanese nationals - a
self-styled security consultant and a veteran war reporter - early
last year. The gruesome executions captured the attention of Japan
but the government said at the time it would not negotiate with the
militants for their release.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came under fire for his handling of
hostage cases, something he would like to avoid with an election
looming this summer. Critics say his more robust security stance
risks getting Japan involved in more international conflicts.
Reuters could not verify the video or reach Yasuda's family, but
Kyodo news agency quoted his mother as tearfully saying: "I just
hope he comes home safely."
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The man in the video did not give any information about who was
holding him or any demands they had. He said "they" allowed him to
say what he wanted.
After saying he wished he could hug his wife, father, mother and
brother, he said: "I have to say to something to my country:When
you're sitting there, wherever you are, in a dark room, suffering
with the pain, there's still no one. No one answering. No one
responding. You're invisible."
In December, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders
retracted and apologized for a report it had issued that said Yasuda
had been threatened with execution in Syria. The government said at
the time it was seeking information.
Yasuda, a freelance journalist since 2003, was held in Baghdad in
2004 and drew criticism for drawing the Japanese government into
negotiations for his release.
(Writing by William Mallard; Additional reporting by Toshiki
Hashimoto, Kazuhiko Tamaki, Teppei Kasai and Elaine Lies; Editing by
Paul Tait and Nick Macfie)
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