TOKYO - JAPAN said on Thursday it was working with Tehran to free a 23-year-old Japanese university student kidnapped by suspected bandits as he travelled alone in lawless south-eastern Iran.

'It is truly deplorable that this happened. We are making our utmost efforts in our foremost goal, which is to bring him back safely,' chief government spokesman Mr Nobutaka Machimura said.

The Japanese embassy in Tehran found out late Monday that the student had been taken captive. He was confirmed to be safe as of Wednesday, a foreign ministry official said.

'I asked him for his cooperation in safely rescuing the kidnapped person,' Mr Komura said .

'He said they have identified the whereabouts of the abductee and he told me he will make efforts to resolve the issue,' said Mr Komura, whose ministry set up an emergency task force.

The kidnap victim was identified as Satoshi Nakamura, who was studying sociology at Yokohama National University, an official at the school near Tokyo said.

Reports said Mr Nakamura had initially been part of a volunteer group involved in education and travelled for two months around Asia. He crossed into Iran from Pakistan, public broadcaster NHK said.

Japan has asked Iran to contact the group responsible for the abduction, officials said.

Japanese authorities declined comment on who was behind the kidnapping, but Mr Komura said that the Iranian authorities 'are close to identifying the group responsible.'

NHK quoted an unnamed senior foreign ministry official as saying that bandits were believed to be responsible, and that there was no indication they had any political motive.

Mr Machimura, the powerful chief cabinet secretary, said Japan would likely raise the warning level for travellers heading to southe-astern Iran, an area near the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan known for rampant banditry.

'It is time to elevate the warning level by a step to 'recommended to postpone trips' from 'recommended to reconsider making trips,' Mr Machimura told reporters. -- AFP