Japan Outraged over Hostage Execution
“Don’t let these be my last words you ever hear.”
Yesterday, the Islamic State released a video they claim contains an image of the decapitated body of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa. A second hostage, journalist Kenji Goto, appears in the video holding a photo of what ISIS claims is the remains of Yukawa, and in accompanying audio relays a proposed hostage trade.
Via the New York Times:
In the three-minute audio recording released Saturday, the voice of a man who claimed to be Mr. Goto said Mr. Yukawa had been “slaughtered” and blamed Mr. Abe’s failure to pay the ransom. (In the audio, the voice says he is Kenji Goto Jogo; it remained unclear late Saturday why that was different from the name given by the Japanese government and his own website.)
The audio is addressed to Mr. Goto’s wife, telling her that the Islamic State was now demanding the release of the woman imprisoned in Jordan, Sajida Mubarak al-Rishawi.
“They no longer want money,” the voice says in accented English. “You bring them their sister from the Jordanian regime, and I will be released immediately. Me for her. Don’t let these be my last words you ever hear. Don’t let Abe also kill me.”
Although officials are hesitant to deny the authenticity of the video, it did significantly differ from previous messages from the Islamic State. Fox explains:
The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by Islamic State, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the audio was still being studied, but there was no reason to deny the authenticity of the video.
One militant on the Islamic State-affiliated website warned that Saturday’s new message was fake, while another said that the message was intended only to go to the Japanese journalist’s family.
A third militant on the website noted that the video was not issued by al-Furqan, which is one of the media arms of the Islamic State group and has issued past videos involving hostages and beheadings. Saturday’s message did not bear al-Furqan’s logo.
The militants on the website post comments using pseudonyms, so their identities could not be independently confirmed by the AP. However, their confusion over the video matched that of Japanese officials and outside observers.
As of today, Japan has not been able to reach the kidnappers or locate Goto, and has not indicated whether or not Prime Minister Sninzo Abe will attempt to negotiate with ISIS. Japan has, in the past, paid out ransom for the return of kidnapped citizens, and Abe is facing some social pressure to comply and avoid sinking Japan further into the crisis in the Middle East.
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Comments
Comply?… He doesn’t have possession of the prisoner to be exchanged. She’s in prison in Jordan. There’s not the slightest obligation for Jordan to listen to him even if he gets on his knees and begs…
Die like a samurai, the Bushido way.
Why were these Japanese guys doing in the area, anyway?
If the Japanese had any semblance of their warrior culture left, they’d retaliate. (What were these Japanese guys doing in that area, anyway?)
Just when is Isis going to set up a Pay Pal account so these ransoms can be paid securely, and on time? (Don’t they know it will also simplify their record-keeping?)
Per their constitution, the Japanese government is prohibited from using “war” to settle international disputes.
“ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. (2) To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution
One was a reporter. The other guy, who was apparently killed, appeared to be a troubled fellow who fancied himself a mercenary or something and went to Syria to train and to start a new life after he lost his job in Japan. He sounds like a mentally ill guy who sort of lost it when he went through a rough patch; very sad story.
We’ve managed to turn the Japanese into Asia’s Norwegians.
They’ve lost all the fighting spirit that animated their ancestors, even to the point of being indifferent about sex and reproduction.
It’s kind of like the whole “Serenity” plot in real life.
Enough ‘ISIS’ already. Give them the $ 200,000,000 they asked for.
In ordnance, at government wholesale bulk discount prices. One piece at a time. No delivery charges.
The photo above is photoshop (unless a second sun has appeared over the middle east). The shadow of the head of the Japanese man on the left falls on the left side of his neck, while that of the man on the right falls on the right, indicating separate light sources. No telling where they really are or how they came to capture these two.
The bad news: Under Obama, America now pays terrorists for hostages. The worse news: They screw it up, losing the money and the hostage (initial attempt to regain Bergdahl).
“while that of the man on the right falls on *his* right”
At one time, the Japanese would have retaliated in kind.
Once you pay the dane-geld…