our correspondent hideki nakayama tells us the situation there. >> reporter: i'm at the checkpoint ofkcakale on the turkish side at the border with syria. the deadline reportedly released by islamic statement in the demands for their death row inmate rishawi to be released by has passed. but here at the border we have not seen anything new. beyond this point the area on the other side is said to be under the control of islamic state. japanese journalist kenji goto is believed to have been captured near the syrian city of raqaa. that's just 90 kilometers south of where i'm standing. this is the closest turkish checkpoint to raqaa. japanese and international media have their crews and reporters standing by, watching for any developments. last year when islamic state militants attacked the turkish consulate in the city of mosul, the 49 turkish diplomats taken hostage were eventually released near this checkpoint. as the deadline has passed, people here in turkey are also watching closely how the situation develops. hideki nakayama, nhk world on the turkish/syrian border. >>> leaders from

we have our correspondent, hideki nakayama, standing by in akÇakale, a town about 90 kilometers northof raqqah which is a major stronghold of islamic state. >> reporter: here at the checkpoint of the syria/turkish border, there has been a group of japanese and international journalists waiting to see any new development. on the other side of the border, the area is under control of islamic state. i've been seeing some syrian people crossing the border into turkey, many of them told me they've heard about the hostage crisis, and they share the concern over the life of the two hostages, kenji goto and the jordanian pilot. in turkey too, the crisis has been making headlines every day because generally japan and turkey have enjoyed friendly relations. turkish media also have been carrying news about the situation of the syrian town of ayn al arab, or kobani in the kurdish language. islamic state once had control over the town, but kurdish forces have been pushing back the militants with aerial support of the u.s.-led coalition forces and just regained control over the town. the fighting h