So far, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is not bowing to the demands of the Iraqi jihadis holding three Japanese citizens—or to the demands of the appeasement bloc in Japan: Japan PM in Pinch Over Iraq Hostage Crisis.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Facing his toughest political test, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told an anguished Japan on Friday he had no plans to pull troops from Iraq despite threats to kill three Japanese civilians kidnapped by insurgents there.

Tearful families of the hostages pleaded for the government to rescue their loved ones, and the mother of 18-year-old Noriaki Imai urged the government to withdraw the troops.

Calls for withdrawal of Japan’s non-combat troops are growing and some analysts said mishandling of the crisis could even bring down the government, a prospect that worried financial markets.

Japanese were stunned when a previously unknown Iraqi group released a video late on Thursday showing the three hostages, including one woman, blindfolded and with a gun to their heads.

The group vowed to “burn them alive” if Japanese troops did not leave Iraq within three days.

“I want to ask for the troops to be quickly withdrawn so my son and the others will come back to us safely,” Naoko Imai told reporters before visiting the foreign ministry.