In a message to Japan's prime minister, the group said it will kill the men unless it gets $200 million — equivalent to Japan's pledge in nonmilitary aid to countries facing threats from the group.
But Manuel Valls said the country wasn't at war with ordinary Muslims or their religion. His remarks came ahead of a 488-to-1 vote to reauthorize French airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq.
By the summer of 2014, a third of Iraq was under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State or ISIS, and people worried the capital might be next. Six months on, that's changed.
