Japan probing Islamic State hostage ‘beheading’ video

Japanese Prime Minister condemns Islamic State's "outrageous and unacceptable act of violence", demands the release of a second hostage.

Haruna Yukawa was kidnapped in Syria last August
Haruna Yukawa was kidnapped in Syria last August

Japan said that is seeking to verify a video that purports to show Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa beheaded by his Islamic State captors.

The video appears to show a second captive, Kenji Goto, holding a photo of his beheaded compatriot and issuing a fresh demand from the Islamic State in return for his release.

“This is an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the end of an emergency cabinet meeting. “We strongly demand the immediate release of the remaining captive, Kenji Goto.”

On Tuesday, Islamic State released a photo showing a black-clad masked man standing over the two hostages. He threatened to kill the two hostages unless Japan paid the Islamic State $200 million within 72 hours. However, their new demand for Goto’s release appears to be the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, a woman arrested in Jordan in 2005 on suspicion of trying to take part in a string of terror attacks at Jordanian hotels that killed at least 57 people.

Goto is a renowned freelance journalist and documentary film-maker who has reported from several war-torn countries around the world. Yakuba had reportedly travelled to Syria to set up a private military contracting company. Reports said that Goto had gone to Syria last October to attempt to negotiate Yukawa’s release.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said the video image “showing a killed Japanese person” was an “abominable and unforgivable act of violence”.

“We strongly condemn this action” Yoshihide Suga said. “We strongly request that no harm be done to the remaining person, Kenji Goto, and that he be released immediately,”   

In five previous IS videos last year – announcing the beheadings of British aid worker David Haines, British taxi driver Alan Henning, U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig- a masked man could be seen making a statement and sometimes placing a knife to the hostages’ necks. The videos would then transition to a still image of the victims’ severed heads.

However, this latest recording only consists of an audio message and doesn’t carry the IS media arm logo.