ALEPPO, SYRIA - JANUARY 20: In this file photo, dated as October 24, 2014, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto Jogo, captured by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and one of two Japanese hostages, is seen in Aleppo, Syria. (Photo by Ahmed Muhammed Ali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Keni Goto taken hostage by Islamic State, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Goto's mother said her son went to Syria to try to secure a friend's release, corroborating comments by others who said he was trying to rescue Yukawa, who was taken hostage earlier. The deadline for paying ransom for two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group was fast approaching early Friday with no signs of a breakthrough. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO, JAPAN - JANUARY 23: Junko Ishidou, the mother of Kenji Goto, one of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) hostages in Northern Syria, cries as she gives a speech during a press conference in early morning on January 23, 2015, at the FCCJ (foreign correspondents club of Japan) in Tokyo, Japan. Five hours were left to the expire of the 72 hours deadline to pay the 200 million USD ransom that demanded by ISIL. (Photo by David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - JANUARY 23: Junko Ishidou, the mother of Kenji Goto, one of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) hostages in Northern Syria, arrives to hold a press conference in early morning on January 23, 2015, at the FCCJ (foreign correspondents club of Japan) in Tokyo, Japan. Five hours were left to the expire of the 72 hours deadline to pay the 200 million USD ransom that demanded by ISIL. (Photo by David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, listens during a news conference about the two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State group, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, prepares to answer questions about the two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State group, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ko Nakata, Islamic law scholar and visiting professor of Japan's Doshisha University, speaks to the press in Tokyo on January 22, 2015, saying he would be able to mediate talks between the Japanese government and the Islamic State over the current hostage crisis following the Islamic State group's demand of 200 million USD for the lives of freelance journalist Kenji Goto and self-employed contractor Haruna Yukawa. Japan's hostage crisis is a stark reminder that Tokyo's deep pockets and alliance with the US make it a target for Islamist militants, analysts say, even if the nation considers itself far removed from Middle Eastern conflicts. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands after holding a joint press conference at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Jerusalem on January 20, 2015, demanding that the Islamic State group immediately free two Japanese hostages unharmed after the jihadists posted a video threat to kill them. The Islamic State group threatened to kill the two Japanese hostages unless Tokyo pays a $200 million ransom within 72 hours to compensate for non-military aid that Abe pledged to support the campaign against IS during an ongoing Middle East. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)