Japan vows not to bend to IS after $200M ransom demand for hostages

The Islamic State group is threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless it receives a US$200 million ransom within 72 hours, but Tokyo vows it will not give in to “terrorism”. In the video, which mirrors earlier videos released by the militants threatening to kill hostages, a black-clad militant brandishes a knife and addresses the camera in English while standing between two hostages in orange jumpsuits. The militant directly addresses Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, currently on a six-day visit to the Middle East.

To the prime minister of Japan: although you are more than 8,500 km from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade. You have proudly donated $100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims.

Knife-brandishing militant in the video

Abe pledged a total of $2.5 billion in humanitarian and development aid for the Middle East on the first leg of his tour in Cairo on Saturday, including $200 million in non-military assistance for countries affected by IS. The hostages were identified as Kenji Goto Jogo, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, a private military company operator who was kidnapped in Syria after going there to train with militants. The militant in the video spoke with the same English accent as that of the executioner in footage of the beheadings of the Britons and Americans.

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