The Committee to Protect Journalists has officially called on Japan to “explore” all options to ensure the release of a Japanese journalist and another Japanese citizen held hostage by the Islamic State militant group.
An online video posted Tuesday shows an alleged ISIS member standing between Kenji Goto, a freelance war correspondent, and Haruna Yukawa, a self-described military contractor, demanding a $200 million ransom within 72 hours. For noncompliance, the militant group threatened to kill both men; the deadline expired at 2:50 p.m. JST (12:50 a.m. EST).