Japan PM Shinzo Abe condemns IS threat to kill Japanese hostages, vows to save them

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has lashed out at the Islamic State (IS) for threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless their demands for a two million dollars ransom are met.

Abe said the threat was unacceptable and vowed to save the hostages, adding that their lives were his "top priority" and that Japan would not give in to terrorism, the BBC reported.

Islamic State (IS) militant group recently posted a new video online that shows a fighter threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless the group is paid 200 million dollars ransom in 72 hours.

According to News.com.au, the video shows the two hostages Kenji Goto Jogo, a renowned freelance journalist and Haruna Yukawa, who went to Syria to establish a private military contracting company.

It is the first time that the IS militant group has threatened to kill Japanese hostages unlike other western hostages who were earlier beheaded by the IS.

The group has control over one third of both Iraq and Syria currently.