The 1 minute 7 second clip appears to show Mr Goto kneeling in a rocky gorge. A man appearing to be Jihadi John delivers a scripted message before the video cuts out. When it comes back, Mr Goto's body is shown
The footage, which was released by the media arm of Islamic State, was entitled 'a message to the government of Japan', and in the footage Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was blamed for the killing
Terror
group Islamic State has released a new video which seems to show
Japanese hostage Kenji Goto being beheaded by the militant fighter known
as Jihadi John.
The
1 minute and 7 second clip shows Mr Goto, 47, kneeling in a rocky gorge
while the masked murderer delivers a scripted message to the camera.
The
killer then lowers his knife and the footage goes black, as is common
in ISIS propaganda films. When the footage begins again Mr Goto's body
is shown lying on the desert floor.
The fighter, who has a British accent, says: 'To the Japanese government: You, like your foolish allies in the Satanic coalition, have yet to understand that we, by Allah's grace, are an Islamic Caliphate with authority and power, an entire army thirsty for your blood.
'(Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe, because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found.
'So let the nightmare for Japan begin.'
The footage has appeared just a day after Japan's deputy foreign minister, Yasuhide Nakayama, told journalists that negotiations for Mr Goto's release were 'in a state of deadlock'.
Tonight the Japanese government has strongly condemned the apparent killing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: 'I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again.'
Japanese authorities have said the video is most likely genuine. A statement from a cabinet meeting of senior politicians said the footage 'has a high degree of credibility.'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added: 'I feel strong indignation at this inhumane and contemptible act of terrorism. I will never forgive these terrorists.'
'Japan will work with the international community to bring those responsible for this crime to justice,' he said, reiterating that Japan would not give in to terrorism.
Mr Goto's mother and brother have both paid tribute to the war correspondent this evening.
Mr Goto, a war correspondent with experience of reporting from Middle East conflict zones, went missing in October last year as he went to help fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa
Mr Goto was last heard from a week ago, when an audio clip emerged claiming to be by him, saying Mr Yukawa had been killed and asking for failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi to be released
'I was hoping Kenji would come back alive to thank everyone who had supported him," Goto's brother Junichi Goto, told broadcaster NHK TV. 'I am filled with sadness he couldn't do it.'
Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, told NHK TV her son's death showed he was a kind gentle man, trying to save another hostage.
On Saturday, President Barack Obama led global condemnation of the apparent slaying, deeming it a 'heinous murder' and saying the US stands in solidarity with Japan against the 'barbaric act'.
We are an Islamic Caliphate with... an entire army thirsty for your blood
Killer in latest ISIS video
In a statement, Obama called Goto courageous and said America applauds Japan's steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East as well as around the world.
Also on Saturday, Andreas Kreig, assistant professor for defence studies at King's College London, told MailOnline that he believes the footage is genuine.
He said: 'The technology that is used to film, they way the shots are cut, the way the footage transitions from one shot to the next, this is all things we have seen before in ISIS videos.'
Anthony Glees, Professor of Security Studies at Buckingham University, added: ‘This kind of video still has the power to shock. It’s particularly shocking because in this case everyone had a sense that Mr Goto may be released, as would the Jordanian pilot.’
Last night ISIS tweeted to say they were going to give King Abdullah, the deceased ruler of Saudi Arabia, a present on what would have been his 91st birthday.
Last night terror expert Shiraz Maher, who works for King's College London, tweeted the message, and added: 'I suspect, sadly, we'll see hostage videos released soon.'
Japanese Cabinet Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga has condemned the attack, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated that Japan will never bow to terrorists
Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was pictured leaving Jordan this evening in a car convoy after footage emerged claiming to show the beheading of Japanese ISIS hostage Kenji Goto
Protesters in Jordan demand to know the fate of Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, a pilot held by Islamic State who was threatened with death in the latest videos alongside Mr Goto
Asked whether he had been expecting ISIS to release footage this evening, Dr Kreid added: 'We had not been expecting anything, but something had to happen, because ISIS had issued an ultimatum that was not met.'
Mr Goto first appeared in an ISIS propaganda video a week ago alongside fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, 42.
ISIS demanded $200million for the release of both of the men, the same amount the Japnese government pledged to help fight the organisation.
Last Saturday an audio recording emerged purporting to be of Mr Goto explaining that Mr Yukawa had been killed, and again pleading for his release.
The voice claimed that ISIS had changed its demands, instead asking for the release of Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber currently on death row in Jordan.
The video has emerged three days after ISIS asked for Sajida al-Rishawi to be brought to the Turkish border.
However on that occasion they were threatening to kill Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, the Jordanian fighter pilot currently being held by the terror group after crash-landing on their territory in December.
ISIS had been asking to exchange Mr Goto and Jordanian airforce pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, who they are also holding hostage, for failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan
There was no mention of the fate of al-Kasasibah in today's footage. Jordan had threatened to kill all of its ISIS hostages if he was harmed.
Jordan's government spokesman, Mohammed al-Momani, declined comment late Saturday on the video of Goto's purported beheading.
The Japanese government has said it is currently trying to verify the footage, which was distributed by ISIS' propaganda arm al-Furqan Media Foundation.
The fate of Jordanian pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasibah, who ISIS had also been threatening to kill, was not mentioned in the latest video
Mr Goto, 47, a war correspondent with experience in Middle East hot spots, went to Syria in late October to try to help release Mr Yukawa, who was captured in July.
Mr Yukawa's arrival in the Middle East followed a number of difficult years, which appeared to begin in 2005, when his business failed, leaving him in debt and, at one point, reportedly homeless.
The Japnese government has previously condemned ISIS' threats against Mr Yukawa and Mr Goto, while stating that they will not cooperate with terrorists.
After news of Mr Yukawa's killing spread, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'Considering the unbearable pain and sorrow that his family must be feeling, I am speechless.
'Such act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible, it causes me nothing but strong indignation. I condemn it strongly and resolutely.'
U.S. officials said they were trying to confirm the authenticity of the video.
Bernadette Meehan, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said: 'We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Kenji Goto has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL.
'The United States strongly condemns ISIL's actions and we call for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages. We stand in solidarity with our ally Japan.'
Junko Ishido, Mr Goto's mother, has previously issued a tearful appeal for her son to be released.
If Mr Goto's death is confirmed, then he will join a list of other victims, including Haruna Yukawa (left). British aid workers David Haines (centre), and Alan Henning (right) have also been murdered
US journalist James Foley (left) was the first to appear alongside Jihadi John in one of the sickening videos, followed by Steven Sotloff (centre. Aid worker Peter Kassig (right) is also dead
Speaking at a press conference last week, she said: 'I say to you people of the Islamic State, Kenji is not your enemy. Please release him.
'Kenji was always saying 'I hope to save lives of children on battlefields'. He was reporting war from a neutral position.'
Mr Gotos' death, if confirmed, adds to a long list of foreign hostages that have apparently been killed by Jihadi John, including Harnua Yukawa.
The list of victims also includes British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig.