A 23-year-old Japanese student who was in Iran as a tourist was kidnapped by an armed group. The Japanese embassy in Tehran allegedly received two calls from Satoshi Nakamura, who said he was captured on Sunday. "The Japanese side has not yet contacted the group, but the Iranian side may have already reached it," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura was quoted as saying Thursday afternoon. "I am not aware of what the group is demanding."

Nakamura is allegedly a student studying sociology at Yokohama National University. He was involved in a volunteer group and took a leave of absence from school from April 1 to September 30. He taught children in Nepal for a couple of months then reached Iran through Pakistan.

Iranian press says the government has always urged foreigners to be cautious while traveling along the borders, due to bordering criminals and drug smugglers. IRNA confirmed the kidnapping took place in the south-eastern province of Kerman and announced "vast search operations" were underway by the authorities to secure the young man's release.

"I want to bring him back," Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said. "Saving his life is the top priority."

"I asked [Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottak] for his cooperation in safely rescuing the kidnapped person," Komura told reporters. "He said they have identified the whereabouts of the abductee and he told me he will make efforts to resolve the issue," said Komura.

It's well known that Iran's border regions near Afghanistan and Pakistan are favorite locations of criminals and drug smugglers. Reuters reports that more than 3,300 Iranian security personnel have died in the region fighting drug traffickers since Iran's 1979 revolution.