Japan pledges to fight “until the very end” for Islamic State hostages

I think that this is part of the IS strategy to increase the cost of participation [in the U.S.-led coalition] for anyone who opposes them. It’s about imposing a political cost.

Terrorism expert J.M. Berger

The IS executioner “Jihad John” — so named because of his British accent and the belief he was part of a quartet of British guards who tortured western hostages held in Syria — specifically cited a pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to donate $200 million in non-military aid to countries fighting IS and said the hostages’ lives carried the exact same price. But he didn’t offer contact information or make payment arrangements even if the Japanese government had wished to pay up — though Japanese leaders explicitly said they would not fork over any cash in the effort to have the lives of journalist Kenji Goto and adventurer Haruna Yukawa spared. The deadline expired in the early hours of this morning, but there have not yet been any public announcements from the captors about the fate of the two men. A video is anticipated, however, one official said.

The situation is dire, but the government is determined to continue its utmost efforts toward an early release of the hostages. And Japan will continue to contribute to the international fight against terrorism.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga