Tokyo: Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda returned home on Thursday after spending more than three years as a hostage in Syria. Yasuda, who was rescued by the Turkish security forces, arrived in a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul at Narita Airport in Tokyo, reported public broadcaster NHK. The 44-year-old freelance journalist was kidnapped in June 2015 in an area controlled by the Al Nusra Front, a former Syrian affiliate of the Al Qaeda. His release came after mediation by Qatar and Turkey, according to the Japanese government. “I am happy that I can return to Japan’’. (IANS)