Islamic militants have told Japan that its citizens are legitimate targets for attacks following the beheading of journalist Kenji Goto. The threat has been issued on jihadi websites and in a grisly video showing his apparent killing.
Officials in Tokyo say they are taking the threats seriously: Japanese consulates around the world have been issued fresh government warnings, and tourists, businesses and even Japanese schools abroad have been told to be vigilant against possible attacks.
Japan has thousands of civil servants, businesspeople and volunteers in the Middle East, which supplies most of its crude oil. The death of Mr Goto (47), a journalist who had covered the region for years, has stunned the nation. Many had hoped he might return home alive.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe called the killing "unforgivable and cowardly". The victim's mother said her "heart was broken" by news of her son's death. "I am too upset to find the words to express myself," said Junko Ishido. "He only wanted to make the world a more peaceful place."
Muslims in Japan condemned the murder. Prayers were said for Mr Goto in Tokyo's mosques yesterday. "We share the feelings of all Japanese," said Bilal Atalay, a spokesman for the nation's largest mosque, Tokyo Camii. "These people have nothing to do with Islam."
Black-clad militant
Narrated by the now familiar black-clad militant with a British accent, the video bore all the hallmarks of previous dispatches from Islamic State. Standing over the handcuffed, kneeling Mr Goto, the jihadist addresses Japan’s prime minister directly when he says he faces an “entire army thirsty for your blood”.
“Abe, because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin,” he says before taking a knife to Mr Goto’s throat.
Mr Goto’s friends said he had returned to Islamic State-controlled territory to rescue Haruna Yukawa, who was apparently beheaded by the same militants last week. “My heart is bursting with sadness,” Mr Yukawa’s father tearfully told broadcaster NHK last night. “He was a brave, decent man who went to help my son.”
Jihadi supporters have taken to Twitter and other social networks to welcome the death and condemn Japan for joining what they called a holy war against IS, which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq. "Japanese will now know the struggle of Islam and the Islamic State and as a result embrace Islam," said one quoted on the Site Intel Group, which monitors jihadi groups.
Mr Abe has faced criticism for attempting to pull Japan away from decades of quiet diplomacy in the Middle East and taking a more US-led line on militant Islam. The threat to kill the hostages was issued after he promised $200 million in non-military aid to countries fighting IS during a high-profile visit to the region.
"I think Japanese people must be prepared for more threats," said Tomohiko Taniguchi, an adviser to Mr Abe's cabinet.
Japan will soon host a number of major international events, including the G8 Summit next year and the Olympics in 2020. "Japan naturally is going to attract more attention than otherwise," said Mr Taniguchi.
Some in Mr Abe's government say they will push for Japan's military, long constrained by the country's pacifist constitution, to launch rescue missions abroad. But others said that is the wrong response. "Mr Goto was trying to bring people together by covering the poor, war and the causes of war," said Shigeru Shimoyama, a prominent Tokyo-based Muslim. "That's what we have to remember tonight."
