At a news conference in Japan,officials said 12 people had been rescued. It was unclear how many Japanese citizens were involved, but officials are working to gather more information,said Koichi Hagiuda,Japan's deputy chief Cabinet secretary.
A police operation at a cafe in the Bangladesh capital where gunmen took hostages Friday night is still ongoing, a Dhaka police official said.
Police have rescued some people, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Jasim Uddin said.
He did not say how many.