"I have instructed [the government] that we will exhaust all possible measures to have the two freed, using all diplomatic channels, all diplomatic routes we have built so far," Abe was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency. "Japan will never give in to terrorism," he added.
Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga on the kidnapping & threat to the lives of two Japanese hostages http://t.co/DclkBh5fj9
— PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) 21 января 2015
On Tuesday, the Islamic State posted a video online, showing two Japanese captives and a man, dressed in black, holding a knife. He threatened to kill the hostages unless a $200-million ransom is paid by the Japanese government.
However, on Wednesday Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed that Abe had promised only “non-military” support for the anti-IS coalition, according to Kyodo.
The captives are thought to be Haruna Yukawa, the founder of a private security firm, and Kenji Goto, a freelance journalist, both abducted in Syria last year.
