A Japanese national was allegedly taken by the Islamic State in northern Syria, according to the foreign ministry, as evidence suggests that the man was a security contractor.

A YouTube video showed a man being interrogated by unknown persons while lying on the ground.

The video revealed that the man was Japanese named Haruna Yukawa who claimed that we was a doctor and journalist.

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Yukawa's name is similar to the name of the CEO of a Tokyo-based mercenary and security firm, but the company did not answer any calls from the media.

The authenticity of the video is not yet verified, but it can be heard in the clip that the man was asked why he had a gun, to which the answer was inaudible.

"This is an area where a various groups are carrying out battle," a Japanese foreign ministry official said in an interview.

The official added that the country's main focus at the moment is to verify whether Yukawa was indeed captured and to ensure his safety.

The foreign ministry is not aware of any groups that have made any claims regarding the capture and no ransoms have been demanded, the official said.

Yukawa, head of the security firm Private Military Company (PMC), posted a picture on Facebook showing him firing a weapon in Aleppo, Syria.

In an interview with Reuters, PMC adviser Nobou Kimoto said Yukawa went to Syria earlier this year, but they lost contact around July.

The civil war in Syria has been going on since 2011 and has taken the lives of more than 170,000 people already.

The civil war has been raging between the Sunni Muslim against President Bashar al-Assad of the Alawite minority, supported by the Iraqi and Lebanese Shi'ite militia.

Tagsjapanese, Civil war, syria civil war