Japan vows to 'never give up' on 'IS' hostages
January 24, 2015
Japan pledged on Saturday that it would "never give up" in its efforts to save two Japanese hostages held captive for ransom by "Islamic State" (IS) militants.
"We are focusing on scrutinizing information over again, We will never give up. We will bring them home," said Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama, who is in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to lead Japan's efforts to save the two hostages.
His comments come after the expiration of a deadline set by the militants to pay $200 million (178 million euros) for the hostages' release. The militants had said they would kill the hostages, believed to be held somewhere in Syria, if the money were not paid in 72 hours, interpreted by Tokyo as meaning 2:50 p.m. (0550 UTC) on Friday.
No word has yet been heard from the captors on the fate of the two men: 47-year-old Kenji Goto, a journalist, and 42-year-old Haruna Yukawa, a self-employed contractor whom Goto had gone to try and rescue in October.
No military rescue
The jihadist group, which currently controls large areas in Iraq and Syria, has murdered five Western hostages since August last year. It is the first time Japanese captives have been threatened.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on Friday with his National Security Council to discuss the crisis. Government spokesman Kenko Sone has said Japan was not intending to send troops to rescue the hostages, as the country's pacifist constitution bans any pre-emptive strike.
Britain and the United States have both advised Japan not to pay any ransom, in accordance with their own policies. Japanese officials have so far not said directly whether they are considering doing so.
Mother's appeal
The mother of Goto, Junko Ishido (pictured above), on Friday made an emotional appeal to his captors to spare his life and release him.
"I say to you people of the Islamic State, Kenji is not your enemy," she said.
Making direct contact with the militants has proven difficult for Japan, which withdrew its diplomats from Syria as the civil war there escalated.
Local media say Abe may use his close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to aid efforts to free the hostages.
tj/sms (AFP, AP)