A video released by the Islamic State (IS) militants Saturday claimed that one of the two Japanese hostages held by it was beheaded, according to media reports.
The Japanese government said that it was verifying the video, which claimed that Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa was executed by the IS, according to a BBC report.
Japan's cabinet ministers were holding an emergency meeting, the report added.
On Tuesday the IS threatened to kill Yukawa and fellow Japanese hostage Kenji Goto unless Japan paid $200 million within 72 hours.
Japanese government official Yoshihide Suga condemned the latest video as "outrageous and unacceptable".
Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the beginning of his tour of the Middle East, announced that Japan would be donating $200 million in non-military aid to countries fighting the IS in order to help build human capacities and infrastructure.
IS claimed that the ransom amount was the same as the financial aid pledged by Abe to countries affected by the militant group.
--Indo-Asian New Service
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