DUSHANBE, January 27, 2015, Asia-Plus – Russian Radio Station ECHO Moskvy reports the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has placed new demands for release of the Japanese hostage.

The Isil militants are reportedly ready to exchange to exchange the Japanese hostage and Jordanian pilot, whose plane was downed by the group in Syria for 27 terrorists who have been sentenced to death.  The list of them has already been sent t the Jordanian authorities.  

The Isil militants had previously intended to exchange the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto for female terrorist.

The Telegraph reports that in his audio message, Mr. Goto said his captors were no longer seeking a ransom but wanted to carry out a hostage exchange.  In return for his freedom, Mr. Goto said, the Jordanian authorities must release Sajida Rishawi, who has been sentenced to death for her role in a suicide bomb attack in Amman.

More than 50 people were killed in the attack in the Jordanian capital, which took place in 2005.

Japanese national Haruna Yukawa was executed by the Isil militants last week.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe released a statement on Sunday morning saying he was aware of the “unbearable pain and sorrow” that Mr. Yukawa''s family must be feeling, according to The Telegraph .

Mr. Abe reportedly demanded that 47-year-old Mr. Goto be released immediately, unharmed, and added that the government will “never give in to terrorism and will actively contribute to the peace and stability of the world, together with the international community, in an unwavering manner.”

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly spoke with the U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday, with the US leader condemning the “brutal murder” of Mr. Yukawa and vowing to work closely with Japan to bring the hostage crisis to a swift conclusion.

Islamic State (IS) is a radical Islamist group that has seized large swathes of territory in eastern Syria and across northern and western Iraq.  A US-led coalition is now targeting the extremists in airstrikes.

Hostages have become a key propaganda tool for Islamic State.  Its brutal tactics - including mass killings and abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as the beheadings of soldiers and journalists - have sparked fear and outrage across the world and prompted US military intervention.

The group aims to establish a "caliphate", a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.

Although currently limited to Iraq and Syria, IS has promised to “break the borders” of Jordan and Lebanon and to “free Palestine.”  It attracts support from Muslims across the world and demands that all swear allegiance to its leader - Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai, better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.