ISIS demands ransom for release of 2 Japanese hostages

Baku. 20 January. REPORT.AZ/ Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the country will not “give in to terrorism” and cancelled the rest of his trip in the Middle East, in response to the Islamic State group’s threat to kill two Japanese hostages, Report informs citing Associated Press.

The two hostages Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa have been identified as journalists associated with Japanese TV networks. The Associated Press reported that Yukawa is a military contractor believed to have been abducted in Syria last August. A Reuters report from last August, which said Yukawa was captured in Syria that month, described him as a self-styled security consultant.

"If true, the act of threat in exchange of people's lives is unforgivable and we feel strong indignation," Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told AP. "We will make our utmost effort to win their release as soon as possible."