Journalist demands return of his passport

A Japanese photojournalist said on Thursday he was forced to give up his passport because he planned a reporting trip to Syria, complaining the confiscation violated his constitutional right of travel and press freedom and deprived him of work.

Yuichi Sugimoto, 58, told a news conference that several Foreign Ministry and police officials visited his home in Niigata, without appointment, on Saturday, and demanded his passport, citing the risk of his planned trip, which had been published in local media. Sugimoto said he feared arrest and handed over the passport.

"I asked them when I would be able to get my passport back and they said they could keep it for an unlimited time," Sugimoto said.