A man walks past a TV screen broadcasting a news program about Islamic State hostages Jordanian air force pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh (top R) and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto (top C), along a street in Tokyo January 29, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that every effort was being made to secure Goto's release, but Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida earlier told reporters that there had been no major developments to report.

Goto's wife urged both governments to work for her husband's release, saying in a statement to Reuters and other media that she feared this was his last chance.

The implication that the Jordanian pilot would not be part of an exchange deal has left Jordan in a difficult position.

Any swap that left out the pilot would be deeply unpopular after officials insisted he was their priority, and could leave Amman subject to further demands from the militants.

Protests have erupted in Karak, hometown of the pilot, who is from an important Jordanian tribe that forms the backbone of support for the Hashemite monarchy.