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Japanese Hostage’s Mother Urges Islamic State to Spare Him Japanese Hostage’s Mother Urges Islamic State to Spare Him
(about 3 hours later)
TOKYO — Making a desperate plea for her son’s life, the elderly mother of one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State militant group told his kidnappers on Friday that he was not an enemy of Islam. TOKYO — Making a desperate plea for her son’s life, the mother of one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State militant group told his kidnappers on Friday that he was not an enemy of Islam.
Junko Ishido, the mother of the journalist Kenji Goto, made her plea during a hastily organized news conference in Tokyo just hours before a ransom deadline. A video posted on Tuesday by the Islamic State threatened to kill Mr. Goto, 47, and another man, Haruna Yukawa, if Japan did not pay $200 million within 72 hours.Junko Ishido, the mother of the journalist Kenji Goto, made her plea during a hastily organized news conference in Tokyo just hours before a ransom deadline. A video posted on Tuesday by the Islamic State threatened to kill Mr. Goto, 47, and another man, Haruna Yukawa, if Japan did not pay $200 million within 72 hours.
That deadline came Friday afternoon Tokyo time, as the Japanese government said it was still trying to contact the kidnappers and confirm whether the men were indeed alive. The ransom demand posed a serious political challenge to Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who has been trying to raise the international profile of his long-passive nation. That deadline came Friday afternoon Tokyo time, as the Japanese government said it was still trying to contact the kidnappers and confirm whether the men were alive. The ransom demand posed a serious political challenge to Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who has been trying to shift Japan away from its more passive role in international relations.
The demand is the same amount that Mr. Abe pledged during a visit to the Middle East earlier in the week to help with humanitarian relief and nonlethal measures against the Islamic State. In the video, the two hostages appeared kneeling in orange jumpsuits on a rocky hillside with a masked, knife-wielding militant standing between them.The demand is the same amount that Mr. Abe pledged during a visit to the Middle East earlier in the week to help with humanitarian relief and nonlethal measures against the Islamic State. In the video, the two hostages appeared kneeling in orange jumpsuits on a rocky hillside with a masked, knife-wielding militant standing between them.
In her emotional news conference, Ms. Ishido asked the kidnappers to spare her son, saying that his wife had given birth recently and that Mr. Goto needed to be at home as a father. She also asked the Japanese government to do everything it could.In her emotional news conference, Ms. Ishido asked the kidnappers to spare her son, saying that his wife had given birth recently and that Mr. Goto needed to be at home as a father. She also asked the Japanese government to do everything it could.
“I have been just crying for the last three days,” she said. “Time is running out. I beg you, Japanese officials, please save Kenji’s life.”“I have been just crying for the last three days,” she said. “Time is running out. I beg you, Japanese officials, please save Kenji’s life.”
“Kenji has a strong sense of justice,” she said of her son. “If things turn out good with his release, I think he would devote himself to the future, to the children.”“Kenji has a strong sense of justice,” she said of her son. “If things turn out good with his release, I think he would devote himself to the future, to the children.”
Mr. Goto, who has covered war zones and other crises as a freelance journalist, disappeared in late October. He is believed to have gone into Islamic State-held territory in Syria to try to win the release of Mr. Yukawa, 42, a self-described military contractor who was captured in Syria in August.Mr. Goto, who has covered war zones and other crises as a freelance journalist, disappeared in late October. He is believed to have gone into Islamic State-held territory in Syria to try to win the release of Mr. Yukawa, 42, a self-described military contractor who was captured in Syria in August.
Japan paid to free kidnapped citizens in at least one previous case, but officials declined to say directly whether they would meet the Islamic State’s ransom demand.Japan paid to free kidnapped citizens in at least one previous case, but officials declined to say directly whether they would meet the Islamic State’s ransom demand.
“This is a very tough situation that we are facing now. The government is making utmost efforts and will continue to make utmost efforts to have the two hostages released,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday. “Japan will not yield to terrorism.”“This is a very tough situation that we are facing now. The government is making utmost efforts and will continue to make utmost efforts to have the two hostages released,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday. “Japan will not yield to terrorism.”
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, released gruesome videos last year of the beheadings of two American and two British captives. The British-accented masked man shown making the ransom demand to Japan is believed to have also appeared in the footage of those earlier killings.The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, released gruesome videos last year of the beheadings of two American and two British captives. The British-accented masked man shown making the ransom demand to Japan is believed to have also appeared in the footage of those earlier killings.