According to Kyodo News on May 9th, the Japanese government has reversed its initial stance that a video of a Japanese escort ship, posted on a Chinese video site last March, could be fake. It has now determined the video to be genuine. In April, Japan’s Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara stated that the video was “being analyzed, including the possibility of malicious manipulation and fabrication” as it spread on social media. However, his position has since changed.
According to the report, a Ministry of Defense official who analyzed the video believes that a drone could have infiltrated and filmed above the JS Izumo, anchored at Yokosuka base, just south of Tokyo. The Ministry of Defense will report these analytical results to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on May 9th.
The Asahi Shimbun reported that the video appears to be filmed from the rear of the JS Izumo, moving towards the deck while anchored at the Yokosuka base. The video is 20 seconds long, and in the top left corner is the logo of the Chinese video platform Bilibili. The Japanese authorities prohibit the unauthorized use of drones over defense-related facilities, including the Yokosuka base. Criticism arose that a hole was punched in Japan’s security as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces failed to notice a Chinese drone closely filming the JS Izumo after the video was released.
Defense Minister Kihara emphasized at the time, “We are monitoring flights of drones and the like more strictly than usual”.
The Ministry of Defense is pushing for a de facto conversion of the escort ships JS Izumo and JS Kaga into aircraft carriers.
The JS Izumo has already completed improvements to its deck for heat resistance, accommodating the vertical take-off and landing of the stealth fighter F-35B, and plans are underway to change the shape of the bow.