Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rushed home from the Middle East earlier today to take charge of Tokyo’s response to the dreaded terror group the self proclaimed Islamic State’s militants threatening to kill two nationals unless he pays a $200 million ransom.
The premier vowed he would not bow to “terrorism”.
“I strongly demand that they not be harmed and that they be immediately released,” he told a news conference in Jerusalem yesterday. “The international community will not give in to terrorism and we have to make sure that we work together.”
The self proclaimed “Islamic State” (IS) has murdered five Western hostages since August last year, but this is the first time the group has threatened Japanese captives.
In footage posted on extremist websites, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English, standing between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.
“You now have 72 hours to pressure your government into making a wise decision by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens,” he says.
The militant says that the sum is equal to the aid that Abe pledged in support of the fight against IS.
Constitutionally pacifist Japan has repeatedly insisted it has offered non-military assistance for countries affected by the IS group’s bloody expansion in Iraq and Syria, which has spurred an exodus of refugees to neighbouring countries.
The capture of two of its citizens in the IS group’s bloody ideological battle is deeply shocking to Japan, and there is likely to be considerable domestic pressure on Abe to try to negotiate their release.
The video of a militant with a British accent brandishing a knife over the heads of journalist Kenji Goto and self-employed military contractor Haruna Yukawa was given blanket coverage today by the Japanese media.
There is considerable pressure on the Japanese government to pay the ransom amount.
The last Japanese citizen believed to have been beheaded by militants was tourist Shosei Koda, 24, who was killed in Iraq in 2004 after Tokyo ignored demands to pull out troops engaged in reconstruction work.
