Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned on Sunday the apparent execution of one of the two Japanese hostages held captive by the Islamic State militants, saying it is outrageous.
"An image in which Mr. Haruna Yukawa seems to have been murdered, was uploaded online. Fully aware of unbearable pain and sorrow that his family must be feeling, I am simply left speechless," Abe said in a statement.
"Such act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible, which causes me nothing but strong indignation. I express resolute condemnation," the premier said.
Abe also said the government has been pursuing every possible means including all available diplomatic channels to save lives of the two Japanese nationals.
"Again, I strongly demand that Mr. Kenji Goto not be harmed and be immediately released," he stressed, adding that the government will, in its entirety, do its utmost in order to have him released.
Abe issued A statement after a video posted late Saturday showed on the Internet a still image of hostage Goto holding a picture of Yukawa's body.
In an English audio message attached to the video, a man claiming to be the surviving hostage Goto said the militants killed Yukawa.
He also said the Islamic State is no longer demanding ransom, but demands the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, currently in prison in Jordan, in exchange for Goto.
Al-Rishawi is an Iraqi woman who was sent on an al-Qaida bombing mission to Jordan in 2005, which killed at least 57 people.
Abe also reiterated that Japan will never give in to terrorism, and actively contribute to the peace and stability of the world together with the international community in an unwavering manner.
Goto, 47, a freelance journalist, went missing in October shortly after posting on his Twitter account that he was in Syria, while 42-year-old Yukawa, a private military company operator, was abducted by the militants in August.
An online video posted on Tuesday by the Islamic State, showed the two Japanese men kneeling on a rocky hillside with a militant standing between them, who threatened to kill the two unless Japan pays a ransom of USD 200 million within 72 hours.
The ransom deadline expired on Friday. The ransom demanded by the militants was the same amount of money as that Abe pledged last week in Cairo during his six-day trip to the Middle East, on promoting efforts against the Islamic State militants, including extending support to refugees from Iraq and Syria.