AMMAN, Jordan -- The hostage crisis involving two Japanese citizens came to the worst end imaginable, underscoring the grim reality that Asia is coming under increasing threat from the Islamic State terrorist group.
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."