The Defense Ministry released video footage Friday that it claims shows a South Korean warship directed fire-control radar at a Japanese patrol plane last week, seeking to discredit repeated denials by Seoul.
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said the 13-minutes of footage, which was made public Friday evening, would prove that despite those denials the South Korean military destroyer locked fire-control radar on a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 patrol aircraft in the Sea of Japan on Dec. 20.
"I'm aware there has been some speculation that it was the SDF who was acting inappropriately, but I hope this video will make it clear to the Japanese public that the SDF was acting in full accordance with international law and protocol," Iwaya told a regular news conference.