Defense Brass To Be Punished For Scandals

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Japan Times
March 15, 2008 By Kyodo News
Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda, Maritime Staff Office Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa and other senior defense officials will be punished over a spate of scandals ranging from last month's deadly destroyer-trawler collision and leaks of classified information, sources said.
The punishments, which could be meted out next week, will cover the collision, in which the Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis destroyer Atago ran over the fishing boat, the leak of data on the U.S.-designed Aegis defense system and a fire aboard the MSDF destroyer Shirane in December.
Those facing punishment are expected to number about 100, the sources said.
Yoshikawa will be relieved of his command, they added.
The disciplinary action will probably put the spotlight on Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has said he will not step down until the ministry establishes measures to prevent misdeeds and revamps its operations.
Ishiba said it is natural for a leader to take responsibility for misconduct, hinting he will step down after overseeing the reforms.
For his part, Masuda could be admonished or given equivalent punishment for his poor handling of the collision and for backtracking on his accounts of the accident at press conferences, the sources said.
The ministry is also considering punishing the Atago's captain and the officers and other watch standers on duty at the time of the collision, the sources said.
On Feb. 19, the 7,750-ton Atago ran over the 7.3-ton trawler Seitoku Maru, from Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture. The destroyer split the fishing boat in two, and the father-son crew were never found, despite a controversial but extensive search.
The ministry is expected to punish more than 50 MSDF officers and enlisted ranks over the Aegis data leak, which came to light in January last year, the sources said.
As for the fire aboard the 5,200-ton Shirane, it is certain the skipper and crew members involved in the transfer of an unapproved thermal beverage cabinet in the destroyer's combat information center will be punished.
 
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