By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/islamic-state-militant-demands-ransom-japanese-captives Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Islamic State militants demand ransom for Japanese captives World Jan 20, 2015 10:06 AM EDT In a video purportedly from the Islamic State group, militants threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless they got $200 million within 72 hours. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the holding of Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa “unforgiveable,” saying “Their lives are the top priority.” He did not discuss whether the government would pay the ransom when commenting on the situation during a trip to the Middle East. The video, which appeared on websites connected to the militant group on Tuesday, showed two men in orange jumpsuits with a masked man in black standing between them. The man, speaking with a British accent, chastises the prime minister of Japan for donating “$100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims” and stop the expansion of the Islamic State. The group has taken over about one-third of Iraq and Syria, it says, to create an Islamic caliphate. Abe had promised to provide nonmilitary assistance to those fighting the Islamic State group while visiting Cairo on Saturday. Goto is a freelance journalist and Yukawa is the chief executive of private security firm PMC, according to published reports. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
In a video purportedly from the Islamic State group, militants threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless they got $200 million within 72 hours. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the holding of Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa “unforgiveable,” saying “Their lives are the top priority.” He did not discuss whether the government would pay the ransom when commenting on the situation during a trip to the Middle East. The video, which appeared on websites connected to the militant group on Tuesday, showed two men in orange jumpsuits with a masked man in black standing between them. The man, speaking with a British accent, chastises the prime minister of Japan for donating “$100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims” and stop the expansion of the Islamic State. The group has taken over about one-third of Iraq and Syria, it says, to create an Islamic caliphate. Abe had promised to provide nonmilitary assistance to those fighting the Islamic State group while visiting Cairo on Saturday. Goto is a freelance journalist and Yukawa is the chief executive of private security firm PMC, according to published reports. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now