Japan mulls disclosing evidence on China radar lock

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The Japanese government is considering disclosing some evidence related to a recent incident in which a Chinese warship locked its pre-firing radar on a Japanese destroyer, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Saturday.

“The government is considering the extent of what can be disclosed,” Onodera said on a TV program, adding that Japan has radio-wave data, photos and footage at the time of the incident and it is “hard” evidence.

But Onodera indicated that whatever evidence the government discloses would be limited, saying that Japan cannot completely reveal its ability to gather and analyze information as it is secret and related to Japan’s security.

His remarks came a day after China denied Japan’s accusations that a Chinese frigate locked its weapon-guiding radar on a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer near a group of islands at the heart of a bitter dispute between Asia’s two biggest economies.

“Japan has repeatedly spread false accusations that distorted facts and defamed Chinese military’s normal combat readiness training,” China’s Defense Ministry said. “This time, without verifying related facts with the Chinese side, Japan unilaterally released untrue information to the media and senior Japanese government officials made irresponsible remarks.”

On Tuesday, Onodera said in a hastily convened news conference that a Chinese frigate directed fire-control radar at an MSDF destroyer on the high seas in the East China Sea at around 10 a.m. on Jan. 30, adding that the two vessels were about 3 kilometers apart.

China has argued that the frigate used monitoring radar but it was not fire-control radar.

Onodera pointed out Saturday, however, that unlike fire-control radar, the radar system for surveillance normally rotates in operation. He said that Japan has evidence that fire-control radar “tracked our ship for a certain period.”

The frequency of fire-control radar is “special” and Japan had “recorded it,” he said.

Onodera also said on the Yomiuri Telecasting Corp. program that moves by Chinese surveillance ships around the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands have “calmed” since the announcement on Tuesday.

Onodera said that China may be “a country that may deny all” even if the government releases some data to prove the radar incident, but Japan will “inform the international community this kind of thing happened.”

“We will explain in a manner in which ordinary people can visually understand what (Japan) said was right,” he said, suggesting that the government may limit the release of evidence to photos and footage.

He said that Japan had asked China on Thursday to resume talks for the establishment of a bilateral maritime safety mechanism to avoid an accidental clash.

Such talks have been suspended since the dispute over the sovereignty of the islands reignited after the Japanese government’s purchase in September of a significant portion of them from a Japanese private owner.

Kyodo Press, February 9, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130209p2g00m0in040000c.html

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 Japan, China trade barbs over radar incidents in E. China Sea

TOKYO/BEIJING (Kyodo) — Japan and China traded barbs Friday over the Chinese military’s alleged use of weapons-targeting radar in the East China Sea in January, a new source of friction between the two countries.

China’s Defense Ministry denied Japan’s allegation Tuesday that Chinese naval ships locked weapons-targeting radar onto a Japanese destroyer and a chopper in the East China Sea in two separate cases in January.

“Recently, Japan has repeatedly spread false accusations that have distorted facts and defamed Chinese military’s normal combat readiness training,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua News Agency. “The Japanese side’s remarks are against the facts.”

The ministry said ship-borne radar of the Chinese vessels “kept normal observation and were on alert,” but “fire-control radar was not used” in the Jan. 19 and Jan. 30 cases, according to the statement.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida dismissed the Chinese claim, saying that Tokyo “can never accept the Chinese explanation that (Japan’s account of the incidents) does not match facts,” and that Japan’s Defense Ministry thoroughly analyzed the two instances.

Kishida said the Chinese Defense Ministry briefed the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Thursday afternoon that what Japan announced to the public does not match what really happened in the two cases.

“We replied to them that we can never accept the Chinese explanation that (Japan’s account of the incidents) does not match facts,” Kishida told reporters. “We cannot accept the Chinese side’s view and we call for a sincere response from them.”

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said separately that Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing based on “solid evidence.”

The Japanese Defense Ministry alleges a Chinese navy frigate directed fire-control radar at a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer on the high seas in the East China Sea at around 10 a.m. on Jan. 30, about 100 kilometers north of the Senkaku Islands.

The uninhabited Senkakus are administered by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan, which call them Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai, respectively.

On Tuesday, Onodera called the incident an “extremely abnormal” case and said a single mistake could have led to “a very dangerous situation.”

The Japanese Defense Ministry also revealed that a Chinese frigate was suspected of similarly locking radar onto a MSDF helicopter on Jan. 19 in the East China Sea.

The MSDF destroyer and helicopter both took evasion steps after weapon-targeting radar was aimed at them. No shots were fired in either case.

On Friday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said the Chinese naval frigate took action Jan. 19 after spotting an “approaching helicopter” of the MSDF. The ministry claimed the Chinese naval ship “found itself closely followed and monitored” by the Japanese destroyer on Jan. 30.

The ministry said Japanese warships and airplanes “have often conducted long and close-in monitoring and surveillance over China’s naval ships and airplanes in recent years,” which it said “is the root cause to air and maritime safety issues between China and Japan.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Japan of “spreading false information” about the two cases in a plot to “smear China’s image and play up the ’China threat.’”

Kyodo Press, February 09, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130209p2g00m0dm016000c.html

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 China accuses Japan of “spreading false info” on radar lock-on case

BEIJING (Kyodo) — China on Friday accused Japan of “spreading false information” by alleging that a Chinese frigate used weapons-targeting radar to lock on to a Japanese warship in the East China Sea late last month.

“Japan deliberately spread false information to smear China’s image and play up the ’China threat,’” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news conference. “This has created tension and misled international opinion.”

Hua made the comments after China’s Defense Ministry earlier in the day dismissed as untrue Japan’s announcement Tuesday that a Chinese frigate locked weapons-targeting radar on a Japanese destroyer in the East China Sea on Jan. 30, an incident Japanese defense officials said occurred about 100 kilometers north of the disputed Senkaku Islands, which are known in China as Diaoyu.

Japan also said a Chinese naval ship was suspected of having directed fire-control radar at a Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter Jan. 19 in the East China Sea.

“Japan’s remarks are completely making something out of nothing,” Hua said.

“We cannot help but ask what Japan’s true intension is. We hope Japan will renounce its...tricks and come back to normal track of proper resolution of the issue through dialogue,” she said.

Kyodo Press, February 8, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130208p2g00m0dm067000c.html

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