The wife of Kenji Goto, who was apparently killed by the Islamic State group, said she is "devastated" by her husband's death but is proud of his work as a journalist.
"While feeling a great personal loss, I remain extremely proud of my husband, who reported the plight of people in conflict areas like Iraq, Somalia and Syria," his wife, Rinko, said in a statement released through the Rory Peck Trust, a London-based organization that supports freelance journalists.
Only her first name is being publicized.
"It was his passion to highlight the effects on ordinary people, especially through the eyes of children, and to inform the rest of us of the tragedies of war," she said.
She thanked everyone who has offered support for her and her family over the last few months.
"As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for our family. I would ask that the media please respect our privacy and allow us time to come to terms with our loss," she said.
The statement was released after a video was posted online early Sunday showing what appears to be the beheaded corpse of Kenji Goto, who has been missing since October.
She first issued a statement Thursday via the organization, begging the Jordanian and Japanese governments to save her husband, acknowledging that she was pressured by the Islamic State group to publicize its demands.