Japan in last-ditch effort to save captives

Japan said it was still trying to secure the release of two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State militants after a deadline to pay a ransom passed and there was no immediate word on their fate.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s government considered whether planned legislative changes would give it the legal basis for a military strike on the militants and concluded it did not, according to a briefing.

The capture of two Japanese citizens in Syria represents an “unacceptable act of terror”, the document said.