Inada denies approving JSDF mission log cover-up

Jul 19, 2017 | News On Japan

Jul 19, 2017 (NHK) - Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has denied media reports that she agreed to hide the fact that the records relating to the Ground Self-Defense Force's peacekeeping activities in South Sudan were at the GSDF command. The ministry once said they had been destroyed.

Ministry officials earlier said that the GSDF had destroyed the logs, but they announced in February that the logs had been found at another ministry office.

Following that announcement, ministry officials stated that they had found the logs at GSDF stored in digital form. Now a special probe is underway to determine what really happened.

Some media outlets are reporting that Inada approved of a plan to withhold the discovery of the records at the GSDF at a meeting attended by senior Defense Ministry officials in mid-February of this year.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Inada said that she had not approved of a plan to withhold the logs or to deny their existence.

Administrative Vice Defense Minister Tetsuro Kuroe, who is believed to have attended the meeting, said he does not remember what was debated. He added that the defense minister had never approved of a cover-up plan.

Inada said during past Diet debates that she had not been briefed about the existence of the records. She said that if the defense ministry and the JSDF are inclined to cover up facts, she believes it is her responsibility to correct that practice.

Source: Kyodo

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.