Junko Ishido, mother of Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist being held captive by Islamic State militants, speaks to reporters as she leaves a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday. — Reuters TOKYO — The mother of a Japanese hostage held by self-proclaimed Islamic State extremists appealed publicly on Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. Junko Ishido, mother of journalist Kenji Goto, read to reporters her plea to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to “Please save Kenji,” which she said she had sent earlier in the day. She begged Abe to work with the Jordanian government to try to save Goto, saying “Kenji has only a little time left.” The effort to free Goto and Jordanian pilot Lt. Mu'ath Al-Kaseasbeh gained urgency with the release of an apparent ultimatum late Tuesday from the Islamic State group. In the message, the extremists say the two hostages will be killed within 24 hours — late Wednesday night Japan time — unless Jordan frees Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack on a hotel that killed 60 people. Abe earlier expressed outrage at the latest threat, as secret talks in Jordan sought the release of the man and a Jordanian pilot also being held hostage. “This was an extremely despicable act and we feel strong indignation. We strongly condemn that,” Abe said. “While this is a tough situation, we remain unchanged in our stance of seeking help from the Jordanian government in securing the early release of Mr. Goto.” A government spokesman, asked about the message, said there was no reason to believe the video was not authentic. “I think the Jordanian government would respond on their own,” said Katsunobu Kato, a deputy chief cabinet secretary. In Jordan, the pilot's father, Safi Al-Kaseasbeh, beseeched the government “to meet the demands” of the IS group. “All people must know, from the head of the regime to everybody else, that the safety of Mu'ath means the stability of Jordan, and the death of Mu'ath means chaos in Jordan,” he told The Associated Press. A member of Jordan's parliament said the country was in indirect talks with the militants to secure the hostages' release. Bassam Al-Manasseer, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bloomberg News the negotiations are taking place through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq. — AP
