Japan Hostage Crisis

Bangladesh forces stormed a restaurant where heavily armed terrorists held dozens of people hostage for 10 hours, triggering explosions and finding at least five bodies lying in pools of blood. Japan government said that 12 people were rescued.

The Japan government opened a communication channel with Islamic State in the decisive stages of its recent hostage crisis but was unwilling to use it to start negotiations, according to a Tokyo-based Islamic scholar who briefly became an intermediary.

The Japanese government scored higher public approval ratings for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's handling of the hostage crisis involving two Japanese captured in Syria and killed by Islamic State militants, polls published this week showed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended his policy toward terrorism, as the flag at his official residence flew at half-staff on Monday in a mark of mourning for two hostages killed by the Islamic State group.

The apparent execution of two Japanese hostages captured by Islamic State militants marks one of the darkest moments in Japan's experience of kidnappings.

Japan pressed Jordan for help in securing the release of Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage of Islamic State militants, after a video on Tuesday appeared to show him saying he could be killed in 24 hours.

The page, now with more than 25,000 likes and growing, asks people to post selfies and photos with a sign that says: "I am Kenji."

Bangladesh forces stormed a restaurant where heavily armed terrorists held dozens of people hostage for 10 hours, triggering explosions and finding at least five bodies lying in pools of blood. Japan government said that 12 people were rescued.

The Japan government opened a communication channel with Islamic State in the decisive stages of its recent hostage crisis but was unwilling to use it to start negotiations, according to a Tokyo-based Islamic scholar who briefly became an intermediary.

The Japanese government scored higher public approval ratings for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's handling of the hostage crisis involving two Japanese captured in Syria and killed by Islamic State militants, polls published this week showed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended his policy toward terrorism, as the flag at his official residence flew at half-staff on Monday in a mark of mourning for two hostages killed by the Islamic State group.

The apparent execution of two Japanese hostages captured by Islamic State militants marks one of the darkest moments in Japan's experience of kidnappings.

Japan pressed Jordan for help in securing the release of Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage of Islamic State militants, after a video on Tuesday appeared to show him saying he could be killed in 24 hours.

The page, now with more than 25,000 likes and growing, asks people to post selfies and photos with a sign that says: "I am Kenji."