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Islamic State ransom deadline passes after mother of Japanese captive begs for release
Deadline for US$200 million ransom payment to Islamic Sates expires without word after Junko Ishido, whose son Kenji Goto is held hostage, makes an emotional appeal
PUBLISHED : Friday, 23 January, 2015, 11:07am
UPDATED : Friday, 23 January, 2015, 10:03pm
Reuters in Tokyo
Junko Ishido, mother of Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto, sheds tears during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Islamic State's ransom deadline passes without word from the jihadist group on the fate of two Japanese hostages it has threatened to execute if a US$200 million ransom was not paid.
The mother of a Japanese journalist held captive appealed for his safe release on Friday as the government acknowledged it was in an “extremely severe situation”.
[video=youtube;syfcegX33f0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syfcegX33f0[/video]
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said saving the men’s lives is paramount but Japan will not bow to terrorism.
When asked if the government had confirmed the safety of the captives, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference on Friday morning: “We have received all kinds of information but haven’t been able to confirm it.”
In an online video released on Tuesday, a black-clad figure holding a knife stood between journalist Kenji Goto and troubled loner Haruna Yukawa, threatening to kill them if Tokyo did not pay Islamic State US$200 million within 72 hours.
The Japanese government has considered the deadline to be 2.50pm local time (1.50pm Hong Kong) on Friday.
“My son Kenji is not an enemy of the people of the Islamic faith. I can only pray as a mother for his release,” Goto’s mother, Junko Ishido, told a packed news conference, choking back tears. “If I could offer my life I would plead that my son be released, it would be a small sacrifice on my part.
Under pressure. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at his official residence in Tokyo late on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
“He only went to rescue his friend. He has always looked out for weaker people, he was always helping weaker children than him,” she added.
Abe has ordered his government to make every effort to secure their safe release, setting off a flurry of activity among Japanese diplomats.
The captor in the video, which resembles those showing previous Islamic State captives, says the ransom demand matches the US$200 million in aid that Abe pledged to help countries fighting Islamist militants.
Abe made the pledge during a multi-nation visit to the Middle East earlier this week. Islamic State militants have seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, and beheaded several Western captives.
SEVERE SITUATION
Japan stresses that its donation is for humanitarian aid, such as helping refugees, and insists it will not bow to terrorist threats. Japanese officials have declined to say if they would pay any ransom, a move that would put Tokyo at odds with close ally the United States.
“The government is continuing to work in unison to gather information and make every efforts for their release,” Suga said.
Asked if Tokyo would pay the ransom, he said: “There is no change to our stance that we will not give in to terrorism and will contribute to the international response to terrorism. As we make utmost efforts for their swift release, we are negotiating through all available channels.”
Tokyo’s most prominent mosque, the Tokyo Camii and Turkish Culture Centre, posted a statement calling for the prompt release of the hostages.
Sreenshot from an online video released by Islamic State shows the group threatening to kill Japanese hostages Kenji Goto (left) and Haruna Yukawa. Photo: AP
It said Islamic State’s actions are “totally against Islam and have a serious impact on Muslim communities all over the world and put Muslims in a precarious position”.
Abe’s handling of the hostage crisis – he must appear firm but not callous – will be a big test for the 60 year old, but he appears to have few options.
Yukawa, aged around 42 and who dreamed of becoming a military contractor, was captured in August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. Goto, 47, a war correspondent with broad experience in Middle East hot spots, went to Syria in late October to try to help Yukawa.
“He left a very young baby and left his family and I asked his wife why he made this decision and she said he had to do everything in his power to save his friend and acquaintance and that it was very important to him,” said Goto’s mother, struggling to hold back tears.
