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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... Japan, US condemn unverified video claiming IS hostage dead Prime Minister Shinzo Abe angrily demanded Sunday that the extremist Islamic State group release a Japanese journalist it is holding hostage after a new online video purported to show that another hostage had been killed. Comment By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Jan. 24, 2015 at 11:49 AM By The Associated Press Posted Jan. 24, 2015 at 11:49 AM » Social News TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe angrily demanded Sunday that the extremist Islamic State group release a Japanese journalist it is holding hostage after a new online video purported to show that another hostage had been killed. While the Japanese government and others cast doubt on the authenticity of the video, President Barack Obama issued a statement condemning what he called "the brutal murder" of one of the hostages. His statement did not say how the United States knows that Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer, is dead, and the Japanese government still was trying to verify the video. Obama said in his statement that the United States will stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan and called for the immediate release of the second Japanese hostage, journalist Kenji Goto. Obama's statement was issued at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as the president was en route to India for a visit. The Japanese government had no immediate comment on Obama's statement. However, a statement issued by Abe in English and Arabic demanded the safe release only of Goto. The message in the video seen Saturday demanded a prisoner exchange for the 47-year-old Goto. But the post was deleted quickly Saturday, and militants on a website affiliated with the Islamic State group questioned its veracity. Still, Abe said after a late-night Cabinet meeting: "Such an act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible and causes me nothing but strong indignation. I resolutely condemn this act." The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State group had threatened on Tuesday to behead the men within 72 hours unless it received a $200 million ransom. Kyodo News agency reported that Saturday's video was emailed to Goto's wife. Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said U.S. intelligence officials were also working to confirm whether it was authentic. Abe said the government of Japan will not succumb to terrorism and will continue to cooperate with the international community in the fight against terrorism. "I strongly demand that Mr. Kenji Goto not be harmed and be immediately released," he said. Japanese diplomats left Syria as the civil war there escalated, compounding the difficulty of reaching the militants holding the hostages. Abe spoke by phone with Jordanian King Abdullah II on Saturday, the state-run Petra news agency reported, without elaborating on what they discussed. He also called the two hostages' families. Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK in a televised interview that in the purported message her son, "seemed to be taking seriously what may be happening to him as well." "I'm petrified," Ishido said. "He has children. I'm praying he will return soon, and that's all I want." But Ishido also was skeptical about the voice claiming to be Goto. "Kenji's English is very good. He should sound more fluent," she said. One militant on the Islamic State-affiliated website warned that Saturday's new message was fake, while another said that the message was intended only to go to the Japanese journalist's family. A third militant on the website noted that the video was not issued by al-Furqan, which is one of the media arms of the Islamic State group and has issued past videos involving hostages and beheadings. Saturday's message did not bear al-Furqan's logo. By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Jan. 24, 2015 at 11:49 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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