On Jan. 31, days after the militant organization released an online video purportedly showing the slain body of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, Islamic State distributed a similar video, this one claiming it had killed Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Japan's frantic effort to secure Goto's release through a hostage swap came to a sudden end.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately condemned Goto's killing. "I am speechless when I think of the pain of his family," Abe told members of his cabinet at a meeting to discuss the situation early on the morning of Feb. 1, Japan time. "The government has tried everything, and I am truly disappointed that it ended like this."