Turkish authorities detained a Japanese citizen on Wednesday near Turkey's border with Syria on suspicion that the man was seeking to cross into Syria to join Daesh, AFP and Dogan news agency reported.
The arrest of a Japanese citizen is highly unusual, as foreign fighters seeking to join Daesh typically come from countries with large Muslim populations.
The 24-year-old man, identified only as M.M., was detained late Tuesday in Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.
According to Dogan, the man admitted to trying to travel to Syria after becoming with an unnamed contact over the telephone, agreeing to meet across the border.
State-owned Anadolu news agency said police had confirmed his contacts with the militant group by examining messages on his cell phone.
The man will be deported back to Japan once Turkish authorities have completed their investigation.
Frequently accused of not doing enough to stop the flow of arms and militants across its border, Turkey has recently tightened its security on the Syrian border, detaining dozens of foreign fighters.
