Japanese leader 'speechless' over apparent beheading by Islamic State

Los Angeles Times ^ | January 25, 2015 | By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A video distributed Saturday on the Internet showed what appears to be a Japanese hostage saying that a fellow Japanese captive had been executed and outlining a new militant demand for his release.

In the video, the hostage, a man identified as Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist, appears to be holding a photo of his countryman, Haruna Yukawa, who has been beheaded.

The case has drawn a great deal of attention in Japan and spawned a crisis for the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had vowed to do what he could to save the two men.

Abe said that 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.”

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Speechless? Why not say your country and the rest of the western world is at war with radical islamic terrorists and you will put the full measure of Japan behind defeating these pedophile prophet-worshiping vermin.

[Gaffer]

Maybe he should seek out some of those Yakuza Ninjas and set them loose over there.

[central_va]

The Japanese are speechless about a beheading? Wow the irony.

[MeshugeMikey]

how about

5-4-3-2-1 liftoff......KABOOM

[txrefugee]

The old samurai warriors are turning over in their graves. There is no honor in their country now.

[a fool in paradise]

James Taylor and John F. Kerry are on their way!

[Logical me]

When will the free world realize that we are at World War III and we are losing. Japan should send some real hardened troops over to Iraq and take a few thousand ISIS apart.

[buffyt]

AMEN!

[mylife]

Perhaps Japan should show the Arabs some swordsmanship.

[a fool in paradise]

Winter
Spring
Summer
Or Falllll
All you’ve gotta do is calllll
and I’ll be right there ‘cause
...you’ve got a friend

[fso301]

[allendale]

Speechless? Get a grip and do what is necessary. Nobody will confuse the Japanese with Sicilians.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Doesn’t he have a speech writer? At least he is not headless.

[pepsi_junkie]

The Japanese constitution, which we wrote for them after WWII, forbids them from taking offensive military actions. Their forces are defensive only and lack strike capability. They actually follow their constitution over there.

There have been movements over the years to build an offensive capability, usually tied to saber rattling by the North Koreans, but in general the Japanese people haven't supported it.

So calls for them to carpet bomb ISIS are misplaced, they can't do it. They are a paper tiger.

[Vaduz]

Seems like China is the only place the islamic terrorists won’t set foot on wonder why?.

[Alberta's Child]

Which kind of makes it impossible to deal with Japanese citizens who are abducted in foreign countries by militant groups like ISIS ... which means Japanese citizens who travel to these unstable places where there is no real government do so at their own risk.

I guess you can say the same for anyone else, but it's particularly true when you are a citizen of a country that has no capability to project military force anywhere around the world.

[MeshugeMikey]

[molson209]

one of ten’s of thousands

[bgill]

Speechlessness is all he could muster up? The world is doomed. Just lay down and let the muzzies take over.

[NormsRevenge]

Two thoughts..

One,, meek mild mannered folks would be well advised to stay the heck out of the Middle East .. especially ones that like keeping their heads&hands attached to their body.

Two,, Send in the Sumarai and the Gurkhas and let them show off their knife and sword skills ..