ID :
147713
Thu, 10/28/2010 - 03:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/147713
The shortlink copeid
Video of Chinese boat collisions near Senkakus submitted to Diet+
TOKYO, Oct. 27 Kyodo -
Prosecutors on Wednesday submitted to the Diet part of video footage of
collisions between a Chinese trawler and Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku
Islands in September, government officials said.
The footage is said to prove that the Chinese fishing boat was responsible for
the Sept. 7 collisions off the Japanese-controlled islets in the East China
Sea, which are claimed by Beijing. Its release could further complicate
Japan-China relations that have deteriorated since the collisions to their
lowest point in years.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said at a news conference that the
footage shows why Japanese authorities decided to detain and arrest the
trawler's captain after the collisions.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan saw the footage in the morning with Sengoku, the top
government spokesman said.
It was the first time that Kan had seen any footage of the collisions, Sengoku
said.
Kan told reporters in the evening that the substance of the video was ''in line
with what I have been told by the chief Cabinet secretary.''
The footage handed to the Diet runs for about 6 to 7 minutes and is not the
full version shot at the time by the Japan Coast Guard, the officials said.
The House of Representatives Budget Committee decided on Oct. 13 to demand that
the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office submit video footage of the
collisions.
The panel discussed when and to whom it should be released in the afternoon but
did not reach a conclusion. It will hold discussions again late Thursday
afternoon.
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are considering
allowing only a limited number of lawmakers to see the footage out of concern
that Japan-China ties could worsen further, while many opposition lawmakers say
it must be fully disclosed.
During a meeting of the panel, the DPJ proposed that the footage be shown only
to board members of the committee. But the main opposition Liberal Democratic
Party opposed the proposal.
Tsutomu Takebe, an LDP member of the board, said to reporters that he had told
the meeting the footage should be released to the public.
''I do not think that releasing it would harm Japan's national interest,''
Takebe said, adding ''it is odd'' that the government is taking China into
consideration but not the people of Japan.
The submission of the footage comes at a delicate time for Kan as he is
expected to meet with Chinese leaders in coming weeks during a series of
international gatherings.
Lower house Speaker Takahiro Yokomichi conveyed a request from Yuji Ueno, chief
of the prosecutors office, saying the footage should be shown to a restricted
number of people as the office's probe is ongoing, when he handed it to the
panel's head Hiroshi Nakai.
Sengoku said the government also asked Nakai to deal with the footage ''very
carefully'' by taking into account such factors as its possible impact on
international political affairs.
Sengoku, who also saw video footage shortly after the collisions, said he
believes the upcoming disclosure will have little impact on relations between
the two Asian powers.
The islets are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan. They are
known in China as Diaoyu and in Taiwan as Tiaoyutai.
The diplomatic dispute escalated after the arrest of the Chinese trawler
captain following the collisions, which the Coast Guard says occurred while the
trawler was being chased and ordered to stop for an inspection.
The captain was arrested on suspicion of obstructing Coast Guard members from
performing their duties by ramming his trawler into their boat.
The captain was released and returned to China on Sept. 25, pending a decision
whether to indict him, but tensions between the two Asian powers persist. Kan's
government has come under criticism at home for freeing the captain in the face
of strong pressure from China.
Although diplomatic tensions between Japan and China appeared to have eased
somewhat in recent weeks, anti-Japan protests have been taking place in Chinese
cities, with many, mostly young people, asserting that the islets are part of
China.
==Kyodo
Prosecutors on Wednesday submitted to the Diet part of video footage of
collisions between a Chinese trawler and Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku
Islands in September, government officials said.
The footage is said to prove that the Chinese fishing boat was responsible for
the Sept. 7 collisions off the Japanese-controlled islets in the East China
Sea, which are claimed by Beijing. Its release could further complicate
Japan-China relations that have deteriorated since the collisions to their
lowest point in years.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said at a news conference that the
footage shows why Japanese authorities decided to detain and arrest the
trawler's captain after the collisions.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan saw the footage in the morning with Sengoku, the top
government spokesman said.
It was the first time that Kan had seen any footage of the collisions, Sengoku
said.
Kan told reporters in the evening that the substance of the video was ''in line
with what I have been told by the chief Cabinet secretary.''
The footage handed to the Diet runs for about 6 to 7 minutes and is not the
full version shot at the time by the Japan Coast Guard, the officials said.
The House of Representatives Budget Committee decided on Oct. 13 to demand that
the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office submit video footage of the
collisions.
The panel discussed when and to whom it should be released in the afternoon but
did not reach a conclusion. It will hold discussions again late Thursday
afternoon.
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are considering
allowing only a limited number of lawmakers to see the footage out of concern
that Japan-China ties could worsen further, while many opposition lawmakers say
it must be fully disclosed.
During a meeting of the panel, the DPJ proposed that the footage be shown only
to board members of the committee. But the main opposition Liberal Democratic
Party opposed the proposal.
Tsutomu Takebe, an LDP member of the board, said to reporters that he had told
the meeting the footage should be released to the public.
''I do not think that releasing it would harm Japan's national interest,''
Takebe said, adding ''it is odd'' that the government is taking China into
consideration but not the people of Japan.
The submission of the footage comes at a delicate time for Kan as he is
expected to meet with Chinese leaders in coming weeks during a series of
international gatherings.
Lower house Speaker Takahiro Yokomichi conveyed a request from Yuji Ueno, chief
of the prosecutors office, saying the footage should be shown to a restricted
number of people as the office's probe is ongoing, when he handed it to the
panel's head Hiroshi Nakai.
Sengoku said the government also asked Nakai to deal with the footage ''very
carefully'' by taking into account such factors as its possible impact on
international political affairs.
Sengoku, who also saw video footage shortly after the collisions, said he
believes the upcoming disclosure will have little impact on relations between
the two Asian powers.
The islets are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan. They are
known in China as Diaoyu and in Taiwan as Tiaoyutai.
The diplomatic dispute escalated after the arrest of the Chinese trawler
captain following the collisions, which the Coast Guard says occurred while the
trawler was being chased and ordered to stop for an inspection.
The captain was arrested on suspicion of obstructing Coast Guard members from
performing their duties by ramming his trawler into their boat.
The captain was released and returned to China on Sept. 25, pending a decision
whether to indict him, but tensions between the two Asian powers persist. Kan's
government has come under criticism at home for freeing the captain in the face
of strong pressure from China.
Although diplomatic tensions between Japan and China appeared to have eased
somewhat in recent weeks, anti-Japan protests have been taking place in Chinese
cities, with many, mostly young people, asserting that the islets are part of
China.
==Kyodo
