Japan seeks to verify death of IS hostage

The Japanese government says that they are attempting to verify the death of a hostage, Haruna Yukawa (pictured), in Islamic State (IS) captivity. This is following the release of a video on Saturday (the 24th) by the IS depicting another hostage, Kenji Goto holding a supposed picture of the deceased's body.

The video supposedly depicts Goto clutching a picture of the deceased's body and issuing a new demand from the IS for his own release. Notably, this video is different from other IS posts as it contains a still image of Goto while audio is played. The Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Intelligence group, a United States (US) based organisation that monitors extremist websites said that the video had been distributed to several known IS-related Twitter accounts.

Militants on an IS-affiliated website also appeared confused over the authenticity of the video. One warned that the video was fake while a second stated that it was intended only for the journalist's (Goto's) family.

In the video, Goto appears to say that the demands have changed. Instead of the money, the IS now demand the release of "their imprisoned sister Sajida al-Rishawi," a female suicide bomber captured after her attack on a Jordanian hotel failed in 2005.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the video, calling it "absurd and unforgivable," following an emergency cabinet meeting. He further stated that Japan will "not give in to terrorism." Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga also condemned the video, referring to it as an "abominable and unforgivable act of violence".

Kenji Goto is a popular freelance journalist and documentary film-maker. Mr Yukawa had reportedly gone to Syria to establish a private military contracting company.

The hostages were first identified in a video released last Tuesday (the 21st) where a masked man stood over the pair and identified them by name. IS threatened to kill Yukawa and Goto if USD $200 million was not paid in 72 hours, a demand which the Japanese government rejected.

by Kevin Andrews

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