Jerusalem - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe demanded on Tuesday that the Islamic State group immediately free two Japanese hostages unharmed after the jihadists posted a video threat to kill them.
"I strongly demand that they not be harmed and that they be immediately released," he told a news conference in Jerusalem, his words relayed through a translator.
"I am extremely indignant at such an act."
IS has threatened to kill the two Japanese hostages unless it receives a $200 million ransom within 72 hours, but Abe vowed not give in to "terrorism".
"The international community will not give in to any form of terrorism and we have to make sure that we work together," Abe said as he wound up a six-day tour of the Middle East, which also took him to Egypt and Jordan.
In a video posted on jihadist websites, a militant said that the ransom demand was to compensate for $200 million in non-military aid that Abe pledged in support of countries hit by IS violence.
But Abe whose scheduled news conference started an hour late due to the crisis, said that the aid would be disbursed as promised.
"This posture will not change at all," he said, stressing that the money was to help the displaced and those made homeless by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.
"This $200 million package for refugees and displaced persons is absolutely necessary (for them) ... in order to survive," he said.
"We shall implement this steadily."
The Japanese leader said two teams had been set up to handle the hostage crisis -- one within the cabinet, and one within the foreign ministry.
He said he was sending a senior official to Jordan to speak with the government there and to gather more information about the situation.
"I will take the leadership to solve this problem," he said.
Abe then headed to the West Bank city of Ramallah where he was scheduled to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas before flying back to Japan, cutting short the rest of his tour.
AFP
