Fate of Japanese Hostage May be in Jordan's Hands

(ibtimes.co.uk)

“Now the focus has moved to negotiations between Japan and Jordan. I don’t think Mr. Goto will be released” unless Jordan releases al-Rishawi, said Buntaro Kuroi, a military journalist familiar with Middle Eastern affairs. 

“The Islamic State (group) is serious. If she is not released, Mr. Goto will face a very tough situation,” Kuroi said. 

Fumikazu Nishitani, a freelance journalist who represents a nongovernmental group helping children in Iraq, argued that Jordan will encounter “very high” political hurdles if it decides to release al-Rishawi in exchange for Goto. 

Al-Rishawi took part in a failed attack on a wedding party at the Amman Radisson Hotel in the Jordanian capital, Amman, in 2005. She survived the attack when her explosive belt failed to go off. She and three male bombers attacked three hotels, reportedly killing 57 people. 

At the time, Nishitani was in Amman to cover the suicide bombings as a journalist.
Those attacks outraged the Jordanians, so releasing the woman for a Japanese hostage will present a very tough decision for the Jordanian government, Nishitani said. 

Jordan is desperately trying to save a young Jordanian Air Force pilot also being held by the Islamic Stage group, and releasing al-Rishawi in exchange was considered one potential option. 

Releasing the woman for the sake of Mr. Goto alone would be “unacceptable” for Jordan, Nishitani pointed out.

(Japan Times)