A Japanese Coast Guard official has said that he leaked the video apparently depicting a Chinese fishing boat ramming a Coast Guard vessel, an incident which launched a diplomatic spat between the two countries. From Reuters:
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshito Sengoku, said the leak by a government employee, if true, would be a grave matter, while Prime Minister Naoto Kan conceded he shares responsibility for the incident.
“No matter who did this, it is regrettable that information that was not supposed to become public has been disclosed,” Kan told a parliament panel.
“Various government branches have been involved in this. But as the person in charge of the cabinet, I would naturally be responsible as well.”
Media reports said the coastguard, who leaked the 44-minute video onto the YouTube website, was aged 43. No details were given about his job.
See also “Why China and Japan are oceans apart” from the Financial Times.
