Kō Nakata

is a Japanese Islamic scholar and author. He has written and translated dozens of books related to Islam and Islamic studies, as well as a light novel and manga. Biography Early life and academic career Nakata was born in Okayama Prefecture in 1960 and raised in Ashiya and Nishinomiya, both in Hyōgo Prefecture. He attended . and he converted to Islam in 1983. He has written and translated dozens of books related to Islam and Islamic studies. called him "Japan's most renowned Islamic scholar". remarked that "in Japan's small Islamic studies industry, Nakata and are both on the fringes, albeit in different directions". He has also frequented the media as a commentator on Islamic subjects. Originally sold as a doujinshi at Comiket, it was published by Shobunsha on 14 July 2020. He and Tenkawa had previously co-authored a manga called . On 22 January 2015, he and , a journalist also suspected of having ties to the Islamic State, held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, where he made an Arabic-language plea asking IS to meet with him regarding the hostage situation of Yukawa and Kenji Goto while keeping the two alive for 72 hours, criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' handling of the response to the hostage situation, and proposed providing humanitarian aid to refugees located in Islamic State-controlled territory instead of paying the ransom the Islamic State demanded for both hostages.

In October 2014, a Hokkaido University student placed under questioning by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau informed them that Nakata had attempted to recruit him to IS. Another man had also contacted Nakata and planned to travel to Syria in August 2014, but failed due to dissuasion from his family. On 2 July 2019, the PSB charged Nakata and several others, including Tsuneoka and the student, for "preparing and conspiring to commit private war"; this was the first time such charges were made in Japan. On 22 July, the dropped charges against them, including Nakata.

Personal life Nakata's Islamic name is Hasan.