Japan Ready to Exchange Radar Records with S. Korea: Iwaya

January 8, 2019

Tokyo--Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday showed readiness to exchange related records with the South Korean side with the aim of breaking the impasse over the Dec. 20 radar lock-on incident.

"In order to surely deepen discussions with South Korea, it would be possible for the two sides to exchange classified records, depending on the developments of our talks," Iwaya told a press conference.

The comment suggests that Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is ready to present its records of radar wave interception to the South Korean side in exchange for information from Seoul during bilateral working-level talks on Tokyo's claim that a South Korean destroyer directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese MSDF patrol plane.

But Iwaya denied that such Japanese records will be released to the public, saying, "How far a country can collect and analyze radio waves is an important defense secret."

The Japanese defense minister also commented on a recently released South Korean video aimed at rebutting the radar lock-on allegation.

"In the past, the MSDF has taken photographs of South Korean warships, just like this time, but the South Korean side has never issued a warning or lodged a protest, let alone directing a fire-control radar," Iwaya said, asserting the legitimacy of Japan's claim. Jiji Press