TOKYO — When Islamic State militants posted a video over the weekend showing the grisly killing of a Japanese journalist, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reacted with outrage, promising “to make the terrorists pay the price.”
Such vows of retribution may be common in the West when leaders face extremist violence, but they have been unheard of in confrontation-averse Japan — until now. The prime minister’s call for revenge after the killings of the journalist, Kenji Goto, and another hostage, Haruna Yukawa, raised eyebrows even in the military establishment, adding to a growing awareness here that the crisis could be a watershed for this long pacifist country.
“Japan has not seen this Western-style expression in its diplomacy before,” Akihisa Nagashima, a former vice minister of defense, wrote on Twitter. “Does he intend to give Japan the capability to back up his words?”
As the 12-day hostage crisis came to a grim conclusion with the killing of Mr. Goto, the world has suddenly begun to look like a much more dangerous place to a peaceful and prosperous nation that had long seen itself as immune to the sorts of violence faced by the United States and its Western allies.
Key points in the terrorist group’s rapid growth and the slowing of its advance as it faces international airstrikes and local resistance.
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He has also emphasized that the $200 million in aid he offered two weeks ago was solely for humanitarian purposes. On Sunday, Mr. Abe proclaimed that he wanted to increase Japan’s nonlethal aid to countries opposing the Islamic State.
“The cruelty of the Islamic State has made Japan see a harsh new reality,” said Mr. Kubo of the University of Tokyo. “We now realize we face the same dangers as other countries do.”
Makiko Inoue contributed reporting from Sayama, Japan.
A version of this article appears in print on February 2, 2015, on page A6 of the New York edition with the headline: Departing From Country’s Pacifism, Japanese Premier Vows Revenge for Killings. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
