Japan will renew its request for Jordan to help it secure the swift release of Japanese captive Kenji Goto from Islamic State militants, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
"The Japanese government in this extremely severe situation has asked for collaboration from the Jordanian government to help secure the release of Kenji Goto swiftly. There's no change to this stance," Suga told reporters after a meeting of national security officials.
Senior Japanese officials met earlier after a video emerged purporting to show journalist Goto saying he had 24 hours to live unless Jordan released a would-be suicide bomber.
The voice on the video resembled that of Goto in an earlier video over the weekend which the Japanese and U.S. governments believed was authentic.
In the latest message, the speaker repeated the condition for his release - that Jordan frees would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi from death row in return.
He also said that Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh, who was captured after his jet crashed in northeast Syria in December during a bombing mission against the militants, had less than 24 hours to live.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the video.
"Tell the Japanese government to put all their political pressure on Jordan," the voice said over a still picture that appears to be of Goto holding a picture of the pilot.
"Time is now running very short," the voice added. "It is me for her. What seems to be so difficult to understand?
"Any more delays by the Jordanian government will mean they are responsible for the death of their pilot, which will then be followed by mine ... The ball is now in the Jordanians' court."
In the previous video on Saturday, Goto announced that Islamic State had executed fellow Japanese captive Haruna Yukawa, who was seized in August. That video showed Goto holding a photograph that appeared to show an executed Yukawa.
Japan has vowed to work with Jordan to secure the release of a Japanese journalist held by Islamic State militants after the killing last week of another Japanese captive, but it reiterated that it would not give in to terrorism.
The hostage crisis has become a test for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took power in 2012 pledging to bolster Japan's global security role.
Abe on Sunday condemned the killing of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa as "outrageous" and called for the release of veteran correspondent Kenji Goto, captured by Islamic State militants in Syria.
"We would like to work together with the Jordanian government to secure the release of Goto," Yasuhide Nakayama, state minister for foreign affairs, told reporters in Jordan late on Monday.
Nakayama was sent to Jordan last week to deal with the crisis.
REUTERS
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