soon after, islamic state militants held him as a hostage and announced his execution on kurimoto says that goto made a conscious decision not to cover the front line of wars and he often tried to give help to those who fell victim to conflict, sometimes even with his own money. >> translator: he hated to be called a war correspondent. he used to say he would not go to cover fighting in wars. he wanted to depict the ordinary lives behind the front line. he felt responsible for people whom he got to know and wanted to do everything he could for them. >> translator: there are others who are remembering goto too. last saturday a play based on his life was presented at a church in tokyo. kurimoto was asked to give a talk about his friend's life there. >> translator: it makes me think that goto probably had a lot >> reporter: kurimoto says that the image of goto's quiet gaze while taken during his time as a hostage left a lasting impression on him. >> translator: at the end i believe goto accepted his fate and, even though his life was going to end soon, he was ready to face it. i think he