Japan military captain suspected of leaking classified information

Name: Japan approves largest military build-up in decades citing Chinese security threats
Uploaded: 2022-12-25T01:02:24.000Z
Duration: 1 min 38 s
Description: Japan approves largest military build-up in decades citing Chinese security threats

Japan’s Defence Ministry is set to take disciplinary action against male captain and the other Maritime Self-Defence Force personnel involved in alleged leak

Under Japan’s secrecy law, civil servants who disclose sensitive information designated as state secrets can face 10 years in prison

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A foreign military officer on board a ship watches the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) fleet review off Sagami Bay, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture on October 14, 2012. Photo: AFP/File

Kyodo

Published: 9:02am, 25 Dec 2022Updated: 9:31am, 25 Dec 2022

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) captain is suspected of leaking classified information, government sources said on Saturday, the first time such a breach has come to light since the secrecy law came into effect in 2014.

The leak occurred when a former MSDF admiral asked the captain for information via another member of the MSDF, the sources said, though the contents of the unauthorised disclosure are not known. The SDF’s criminal investigation unit has launched a probe into the alleged leak, they said.

The Defence Ministry is set to take disciplinary action against the male captain and the other MSDF personnel involved as early as Monday, they said, adding that no evidence has been found that the leaked information has been given to another country.

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Japan approves largest military build-up in decades citing Chinese security threats

Under the secrecy law, civil servants and others who disclose sensitive information regarding foreign policy, defence, counterterrorism and counter-espionage that are designated as state secrets can face 10 years in prison.

Captain is one of the highest ranks at the MSDF, following admiral, vice admiral and rear admiral. The former admiral served in various key posts at the organisation, they said.

As of the end of June, there were a total of 693 state secrets, of which 392 were designated by the Defence Ministry, according to the Cabinet Secretariat.

The Defence Ministry’s secrets include intelligence and information obtained by radio waves and images, military operation plans, as well as codes used by the SDF and the amount of ammunition they possess.