Japanese National Freed from Iran, Second Still Detained

0:00It's March 22nd. Welcome in. This is Global News Today, where global headlines meet AI. Japan's Foreign Minister announced that one of two Japanese nationals held in Iran has been freed and is on the way home. The person detained last year was released on Wednesday and took a flight from Azerbaijan set to land in Japan on Sunday. The other Japanese, arrested earlier this year, remains in custody there. People have not linked the two cases or shared more details about them. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi credited his repeated calls to his Iranian counterpart for the release. He spoke about it on a Fuji television talk show and noted that one detainee is a journalist from Japan's public broadcaster NHK picked up on January 20th. Motegi said he's pushing hard for the second person's quick freedom and staying in touch with the family and others involved. The foreign ministry confirmed earlier this month that both are safe and in good health. As talks continue behind the scenes, Japan hopes to bring everyone home soon.