BREAKING NEWS

Japanese PM Abe cancels rest of Middle East visit as government spokesman rebukes ISIS ransom

By JPOST.COM STAFF

JANUARY 20, 2015 10:31

Report: Despite his imminent appearance at press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Japan's Prime Minister will be cancelling the rest of his visit to the Middle East, AFP's Tokyo Bureau tweeted Tuesday.

Video emerged hours ago showing what appeared to be two Japanese hostages taken captive by the Islamic State.

Dressed in the now familiar orange jumpsuits and kneeling beside a knife wielding figure, the Islamic State demanded a ransom of $200 million dollars be paid within 72 hours.

It is unclear whats the Japanese government's next decision will be concerning the current situation though a spokesman for Tokyo took a more defiant tone during a news conference on Tuesday.

"Our country's stance - contributing to the fight against terrorism without giving in - remains unchanged," chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo."

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