ISIS demands $200M for Japanese hostages, but Japan’s Prime Minister will not give in to terrorism 

Japan’s government vowed not to give in to terrorism after Islamic State militants released a videotaped threat to kill two Japanese citizens held hostage.

A man clad in black and speaking with a British accent said, in a video posted online Tuesday, that unless $200 million is paid to his group, two Japanese men will be executed. The two captives are identified as Kenji Goto, who has previously reported from war zones for Japanese news broadcasters. Goto last year apparently assisted the man who is now his fellow hostage, Haruna Yukawa, who once ran a military clothing and accessories store, in getting into Iraq.

In the released video, the knife-wielding man is seen standing between the two Japanese; who are in orange jumpsuits and are kneeling on the desert ground. The man said unless Japan pays the money within 72 hours,

This knife will become your nightmare.

Traveling in the Middle East, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was defiant just hours after the video’s release, issuing a “strong demand” for the release of the Japanese men.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Abe said the demand to pay ransom in exchange for the lives of the hostages is unforgivable. Abe added that Japan will not give in to terrorism. During a visit to Cairo Saturday, as part of a $2.5 billion Middle East aid package, Abe pledged $200 million in nonmilitary assistance for countries fighting against the Islamic State group.

-Infinite Wiz (@InfiniteWiz)