Japan has been left reeling by a video apparently showing Islamic State hostage Kenji Goto pleading with prime minister Shinzo Abe not to let him die.
Goto (47), a veteran freelance journalist, is seen in the grisly video holding a picture of the decapitated body of his fellow hostage, Haruna Yukawa (42).
A voice purporting to be Goto's is heard asking for the government to exchange his life for the release of female jihadist Sajida-al-Rishawi, who is being held in Jordan.
Mr Abe took to the airwaves today to angrily condemn Mr Yukawa’s murder, which left him “speechless”. “Such an act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible,” he said. “I demand that Mr Goto be released immediately.”
Mr Abe said Japan would “spare no effort” to free him.
Japanese officials say they believe the remaining hostage is still alive but they appeared to have few options. Japan has pulled its diplomats out of Syria and lacks contacts in the region. Tokyo officials have been relying on local leaders in the Middle East, mainly Jordan, to try to get a message to the jihadi group, which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
About 100 protesters gathered outside the prime minister’s residence to demand he do more to rescue Goto. They accused Mr Abe of triggering the hostage crisis by touring the Middle East last week, offering aid to countries fighting IS.
Offer of aid
Some opposition lawmakers have also questioned Mr Abe’s timing in offering the aid when he knew that at least one of the men was being held captive.
IS said Japan has joined in the “holy war” against the militants, an apparent reference to a pledge last week by Mr Abe of $200 million(€178 million) to countries fighting IS. Japan insists the money is non-military aid.
Speaking in accented English, Goto is heard in the video blaming the prime minister for the death of Mr Yukawa. "Abe, you killed Haruna," he says. "You did not take the threat of my captors seriously."
IS jihadists had given Japan 72 hours to pay $200 million to stop the men’s execution but now instead appear to be demanding the release of Rishawi, a suicide bomber sent by al-Qaeda to bomb a hotel in Jordan in 2005.
Japan has sent a crisis team to Jordan but experts say asking for the release of a woman who killed dozens of Jordanians is diplomatically fraught. "The government has no choice but to ask" for Rishawi's release, said Akiko Yoshioka, a specialist in energy economics. "But it could damage relations between Japan and Jordan," she told broadcaster NHK.
Leaders around the world condemned the killing of Mr Yukawa. French president François Hollande called the murder “barbaric” and lauded Japan’s fight against “international terrorism”.
US president Barack Obama said his country stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan. "Our condolences today are with the people of Japan for their terrible loss," said a White House statement.
Goto told his family in the video to keep pressing for his release. “Rinko, my beloved wife, I love you and I miss my two daughters,” he said. “Don’t give up. You must continue to press our government.” He warned her the video could be his “last hours” in the world. “I could be a dead man speaking. Don’t let these be my last words. Don’t let Abe kill me.”
