Mother of Japanese hostage pleads for his release as IS deadline passes

A deadline by Islamic State militants to pay ransom for two Japanese hostages passed on Friday, with no immediate word on the fate of the captives. The Japanese government said it was in an “extremely severe situation,” while the mother of Kenji Goto, a journalist, pleaded for his release. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said saving the men’s lives is paramount but that Japan will not bow to terrorism. In an online video posted on Tuesday, a black-clad figure holding a knife stood between Goto and Haruna Yukawa, threatening to kill them if Tokyo did not pay Islamic State $200 million within 72 hours.

Time is running out. Please, Japanese government, save my son’s life. My son is not an enemy of the Islamic State.

Junko Ishido

Militants posted a message online, warning that “the countdown has begun,” complete with a clock counting down to zero and gruesome images of other hostages who have been beheaded by the Islamic State group. Japanese media reported early Friday that it had received a message from Islamic State “public relations” saying a statement would be released soon.

World Japanese hostages