A handout photo taken on October 27, 2010, and released by an international relief organisation on January 21, 2015, shows Japanese journalist Kenji Goto delivering a lecture during a symposium in Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP
In it, Goto is seen kneeling, dressed in an orange outfit, as a masked man standing beside him with a knife blames the Japanese government for his "slaughter."
It ends with a still photo of the body with the head resting on the back.
The executioner appears to be the man known as Jihadi John, speaking with a southern English accent and addressing the Japanese government.
He speaks directly to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo 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."
The video made no mention of a Jordanian pilot also held hostage and threatened with execution.
The Japanese government condemned the incident and said they were outraged by the horrific act.
Earlier in the week, IS had executed the other Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa.
.@JohnKerry: U.S. condemns ISIL's vicious murder of Kenji Goto. We extend condolences to his wife, family, loved ones, and people of Japan.
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 31, 2015
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Sick people. Don't know what kind of upbringing these people had.
Congrats ISIS!!! You've created another enemy out of an otherwise neutral country Japan.
Though I believe those swords are dai katanas - used only for seppuku - honor related suicide. I doubt they would give any honor to those monsters @numbersnumbers:
Why is the world standing by. They have declared war. Go in and destroy them.
This is a barbaric act of IS. To extort money from Japnese Government, they killed a human being.
They called themselves Muslims but every Muslim in the world knows that such an action will never be performed by any Muslim.
The world should get united to kill each and every IS man wherever found on earth. No mercy for killers.
IS has also reached Pakistan now, the bombing the other day at Shikarpur was done by a group that has pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Baghdadi.
The 1000-year old mindset has to be dealt with by the progressive world before more innocent victims die at the hands of these animals.
Taliban, Daish are the creation of Saudi Arabia mainly promoted to save the dynasty of Ale Saud. It has done nothing except dis reputing Islam. Ummah is paying huge price for for this family's regime. May ALLAH save His deen.
Japan should take this opportunity to send a small contingent of their special forces to Iraq to help with "training" the Iraqi army forces! Since these Japanese forces also have devotees of the Samuri culture (hence the swords in their kit) in their ranks, I am sure that they would love to "capture" some ISIS fighters and post their own "videos"!!! One could only hope!