[Newsmaker] Hostage crisis poses test for pacifist Japan
World NewsFeb 2, 2015
TOKYO (AFP) ― The apparent beheading of two Japanese hostages by Islamic State militants poses a stark diplomatic test for pacifist Japan, underscoring how Tokyo’s image as a benign aid donor offers no immunity from violence, analysts say. Tokyo has long avoided getting embroiled in tinderbox conflicts across the Middle East and is rarely the target of religious extremism, something many ordinar...