Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed outrage and demanded today that Islamic State extremists release a Japanese journalist, as secret talks in Jordan sought the release of the Japanese and a Jordanian pilot also being held hostage.
The effort to free Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto and Jordanian Lt Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh gained urgency with the release of an apparent ultimatum late yesterday from the Islamic State group.
In the message, the extremists say the two hostages will be killed within 24 hours late today Japan time unless Jordan frees Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack on a hotel that killed 60 people.
"This was an extremely despicable act and we feel strong indignation. We strongly condemn that," Abe said. "While this is a tough situation, we remain unchanged in our stance of seeking help from the Jordanian government in securing the early release of Goto."
In Jordan, the pilot's father, Safi al-Kaseasbeh, beseeched the government "to meet the demands" of the Islamic State group.
"All people must know, from the head of the regime to everybody else, that the safety of Mu'ath means the stability of Jordan, and the death of Mu'ath means chaos in Jordan," he told The Associated Press.
About 200 of the pilot's relatives protested outside the prime minister's office in the Jordanian capital of Amman, chanting anti-government slogans and urging that it meet the captors' demands.
A member of Jordan's parliament said the country was in indirect talks with the militants to secure the hostages' release. Bassam Al-Manasseer, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bloomberg News the negotiations are taking place through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq, adding that Jordan and Japan won't negotiate directly with IS and won't free al-Rishawi in exchange for Goto only.
A prisoner exchange would be contrary to the policy of Jordan's main ally, the US, which opposes negotiating with extremists. Manaseer's comments were the strongest suggestion yet that Japan and Jordan might be open to a prisoner exchange.
Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was in Amman to coordinate hostage-release efforts with Jordan, but refused comment on details of the talks early today.
The hostage saga involving the two Japanese nationals has stunned Japan and triggered criticism of Abe over the handling of the crisis. The militants reportedly have beheaded one Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.
Yesterday's video resembled a message released over the weekend showing a still photo of Goto holding what appeared to be a photo of Yukawa's body. It withdrew a demand for USD 200 million in ransom for Goto and Yukawa made in an earlier message.
