The Japan Times- Kurds play TSA in Northern Iraq

On March 11, 2015, a Japanese man was temporary detained authorities in the Kurdish Autonomous region in Northern Iraq as a suspicious individual after entering the country through Turkey.  After being detained for several days in Irbil, a major city in the Kurdish region, he was released and has since left Iraq.

Officials of Japan's Foreign Ministry reported last month that two other Japanese nationals were detained on separate occasions before being released.  According to the ministry, the Kurdish officials have taken action in examining foreigners traveling in the country with the utmost scrutiny. This is most likely a result of the impending ISIS threat, as Iraq is one of the several countries in the Middle East that ISIS controls territory in.

Location and region are two legitimate factors here, as the juxtaposition of the ISIS controlled regions and the Kurdish region in which the Japanese nationals were held makes Northern Iraq a particular hot zone.  As many ISIS recruits have come from multiple countries around the world- including the US, security would most likely be stepped up around the areas of fire.