3 February 2015, 14:28 GMT
TOKYO, February 3 (Sputnik) — Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called for stepped-up security measures on Tuesday following the recent slaying of two Japanese citizens by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The announcement was made during a vice-ministerial meeting, aimed at discussing ways to protect Japan's citizens from international terrorism.
"The threat of terrorism has become more realistic for our country," Suga was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency, "I ask all of you to work together to strengthen anti-terrorism measures."
The measures agreed upon during the meeting include in particular intensified supervision at railway stations, ports, airports and many other transportation centers.
The Islamic State is a jihadist group, notorious for kidnapping and killing several foreign nationals, including military personnel, aid workers and journalists.
On Saturday, IS released a video showing the beheading of Japanese freelance journalist, Kenji Goto, following last week's killing of another Japanese national, Haruna Yukawa.
