Gamiaw Bulletin

  PH condemns beheading of Japanese

 Source: Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine government on Monday denounced the reported execution of the second of two Japanese hostages held by Islamic militants in Syria and conveyed its condolences to the Japanese people.

“The Philippines resolutely condemns what appears to be the brutal execution of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. We express our condolences to the Japanese people as they cope with the recent loss of the two Japanese lives,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

Goto, 47, was a freelance journalist and documentarist who contributed reports to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK and the television network TV Asahi, among other media outlets. He was known for his coverage of the suffering of civilians in war zones.

The killing of Goto, who went to Syria in October, came days after his friend and fellow Japanese national, Haruna Yukawa, was executed. Both men were beheaded by an Islamic State group as purportedly shown in separate videos circulated via social media. The Japanese believe the video to be genuine.

The latest execution carried out by Islamic militants was condemned also by the United States, France and Britain.

“The Philippines joins Japan and the international community in global efforts to thwart the propagation of extremist ideas, terrorism, violence and crimes against humanity,” the DFA said.