Fuck Muhammad!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm sure Japan is getting a ton of input from western allies telling them to stand firm and don't pay.

That would be the advice of the US and the UK, no doubt about it.

However, some European countries have a history of paying. It's done privately and often through a third party so as not to look as though the hostages' home country caved. But, the practice has been investigated, verified, documented, and recognized for years.

In some cases/countries, the government doesn't actually put up the money and instead advises an employer or organization as to how to go about raising it.

-$91.5 million has been paid to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in exchange for the release of French, Swiss, Austrian, and Canadian tourists.

-$5.1 million has been paid to the Shabab for the return of Spanish tourists.

-$29.9 million has been paid to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for the return of French, Finnish, Austrian, and Swiss tourists.

France has paid the highest ransoms consistently. Thus, unsurprisingly, French citizens have been the most targeted by Islamic terrorists. So, money paid to al-Qaeda by the French may have actually helped finance the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo.

If the Japanese hostages were being held secretly and a less outrageous ransom amount was being demanded, I'd be more inclined to believe that Japan would follow the lead of countries that pay. But, you might be right; Japan might pay anyway. I sure hope they don't. I think it's a recipe for disaster; save a couple at the risk of many more.