ID :
160962
Mon, 02/14/2011 - 17:34
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/160962
The shortlink copeid
Ex-Coast Guard member says Senkaku video leak aimed to benefit public
TOKYO, Feb. 14 Kyodo - A former member of the Japan Coast Guard said Monday his unauthorized posting on the Internet of video footage of the September maritime collisions near the disputed Senkaku Islands was intended to benefit the public, who he believes are eager to know what happens around Japanese waters.
Masaharu Isshiki, 44, who was a member of the Kobe Coast Guard Office, also said while he is aware that government officials hold secrets they should keep, hiding the existence of the footage ''crossed the borderline,'' criticizing the Japanese government that has not revealed the video.
Isshiki's speech, delivered at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo as his first press conference since he became known over the video leak, attracted considerable attention as relations between Japan and China have deteriorated since the incident in which a Chinese trawler collided with two JCG patrol ships.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who is known for his hawkish and right-leaning views and takes a harsh view of Beijing, was unusually among those in the audience.
''I believed (the posting of the video) would really benefit the country and the public, and thinking about which is more important, I decided to act,'' Isshiki said.
Ishihara, during a question-and-answer section, praised Isshiki for leaking the video footage, saying, ''I would like to pay respect to you and thank you for your action as a representative of the people.''
While Isshiki resigned from the Coast Guard after the leak, he said he did so voluntarily to take responsibility for breaking the organization's rules, reiterating that he had no regrets about posting the video on the Internet.
Some part of the footage shows the Chinese trawler as to be apparently ramming into a JCG boat amid the sound of sirens and voices yelling ''stop'' in Japanese.
He suggested the video had been edited by someone and the full version remains under wraps, ironically saying he would ask Beijing to put pressure on Tokyo to unveil it if he had a chance to talk with Chinese officials.
''I think (the video footage) was edited for some reason. If there was raw video footage, I think I would have released it, but unfortunately I do not have it in my hands,'' Isshiki said.
''To be honest, I don't know anything about the remaining video,'' he added, calling on the press to reveal the truth about the collisions near the islands administered by Japan but claimed by China.
Isshiki allegedly copied the footage of the collisions in mid-October on a USB data storage device from a shared personal computer aboard the Coast Guard patrol boat Uranami, on which he was serving as a navigator, and posted clips on the YouTube video-sharing website at an Internet cafe in Kobe in November.
He said the video footage spread through the Internet at a faster pace than he had expected. If he had failed to turn the spotlight on the video by posting it on the YouTube, he would have considered taking ''a next step,'' he added, while keeping mum about its details.
In January, prosecutors decided to suspend indictment of Isshiki who had been accused of violating the National Public Service Law that prohibits civil servants from divulging secrets obtained during the course of their work.
The prosecutors said it was undeniable that there were shortcomings in the management of the footage on the part of the Coast Guard, adding Isshiki had not obtained the footage for malicious reasons and it was not used for personal gain.
Masaharu Isshiki, 44, who was a member of the Kobe Coast Guard Office, also said while he is aware that government officials hold secrets they should keep, hiding the existence of the footage ''crossed the borderline,'' criticizing the Japanese government that has not revealed the video.
Isshiki's speech, delivered at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo as his first press conference since he became known over the video leak, attracted considerable attention as relations between Japan and China have deteriorated since the incident in which a Chinese trawler collided with two JCG patrol ships.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who is known for his hawkish and right-leaning views and takes a harsh view of Beijing, was unusually among those in the audience.
''I believed (the posting of the video) would really benefit the country and the public, and thinking about which is more important, I decided to act,'' Isshiki said.
Ishihara, during a question-and-answer section, praised Isshiki for leaking the video footage, saying, ''I would like to pay respect to you and thank you for your action as a representative of the people.''
While Isshiki resigned from the Coast Guard after the leak, he said he did so voluntarily to take responsibility for breaking the organization's rules, reiterating that he had no regrets about posting the video on the Internet.
Some part of the footage shows the Chinese trawler as to be apparently ramming into a JCG boat amid the sound of sirens and voices yelling ''stop'' in Japanese.
He suggested the video had been edited by someone and the full version remains under wraps, ironically saying he would ask Beijing to put pressure on Tokyo to unveil it if he had a chance to talk with Chinese officials.
''I think (the video footage) was edited for some reason. If there was raw video footage, I think I would have released it, but unfortunately I do not have it in my hands,'' Isshiki said.
''To be honest, I don't know anything about the remaining video,'' he added, calling on the press to reveal the truth about the collisions near the islands administered by Japan but claimed by China.
Isshiki allegedly copied the footage of the collisions in mid-October on a USB data storage device from a shared personal computer aboard the Coast Guard patrol boat Uranami, on which he was serving as a navigator, and posted clips on the YouTube video-sharing website at an Internet cafe in Kobe in November.
He said the video footage spread through the Internet at a faster pace than he had expected. If he had failed to turn the spotlight on the video by posting it on the YouTube, he would have considered taking ''a next step,'' he added, while keeping mum about its details.
In January, prosecutors decided to suspend indictment of Isshiki who had been accused of violating the National Public Service Law that prohibits civil servants from divulging secrets obtained during the course of their work.
The prosecutors said it was undeniable that there were shortcomings in the management of the footage on the part of the Coast Guard, adding Isshiki had not obtained the footage for malicious reasons and it was not used for personal gain.
