Japan probes IS new video

Tokyo, Jan. 24: Japanese officials said Saturday they were investigating a new online message purporting to be from the extremist Islamic State group about the two Japanese hostages it holds.

The purported message claimed one hostage has been killed and demanded a prisoner exchange for the other. But the post was deleted quickly, and militants on a website affiliated with the Islamic State group disagreed about the message’s authenticity.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said government ministers were holding an emergency meeting about the new message.

Kyodo News agency reported that the same video has been emailed to the wife of one of the hostages. Japan has scrambled for a way to secure the release of 47-yearold Kenji Goto, a journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer fascinated by war.