The lives of two Japanese men being held hostage by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are still hanging in the balance after Japanese officials failed to contact the terror group, the New York Times reported.
Japanese officials said that they have tried their best to contact the militants but their efforts have merited a negative response.
In a video released by ISIS on Tuesday, the militant group showed journalist Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa kneeling down and wearing jumpsuit. The man clad in black with a distinct British accent is demanding the Japanese government to cough up $200 million for the hostages' release, otherwise they will meet the same fate as the other men showed by ISIS in earlier videos.
Japan earlier gave a pledge aid of $200 to help areas in the Middle East that have been affected by ISIS, and the Islamic State has seen the donation as an affront to their government, saying that the money will be used "to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of Muslims."
They gave Japan 72 hours to pay the ransom, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe maintained that the pledge aid in no way affects ISIS since it was meant for the improvement of global affairs.
The Prime Minister has ordered his men to do everything possible to save the hostages but it seems like time is running out. "This is a race against time, but the government will do everything it can," said Abe.
Meanwhile, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said that Japan has yet to confirm whether or not the two men are still alive. Japan has tried to reason that ISIS' demands were based on a "misunderstanding," since the money they donated would not be used to kill Muslims but instead help refugees and other humanitarian causes.
He said Japan is trying to convey this "to the nations involved as well as leaders of tribal and religious groups, using every means that we can."
"We are sending the message that contrary to what the criminals are saying, we are absolutely not trying to kill people in the Muslim world," added Suga.
Moreover, it seemed like the Japanese already knew about the hostage situation even before ISIS released the video publicly. Japanese news outlets disclosed that Goto's wife has already been contacted by the militant group via email last November, saying that they have her husband.
The group only sought ransom this January, seeking $20 million for her husband's release. Goto's wife sought the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
