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.
==Kyodo
2011-02-14 23:46:39