S. Korea-Japan military talks on patrol aircraft’s flyby conclude with no resolution

TOKYO, Jan 23, 2019, Hankyoreh. The Japanese government unilaterally declared a halt on Jan. 21 to discussions with South Korea after previously claiming that the South Korean destroyer Gwanggaeto the Great targeted a Japanese patrol aircraft with signal tracking and illuminating radar (STIR), reported the Hankyoreh.

With its declaration, Japan appears to have bowed out of the discussions after determining that it did not have the concrete evidence needed to refute South Korea’s consistently maintained position.
Later that evening, the Japanese Ministry of Defense posted a statement on its website titled “A Final Opinion on the South Korean Navy Destroyer’s Targeting of the Self-Defense Forces with Fire-Control Radar.”

“As South Korea has not demonstrated a willingness to objectively and neutrally acknowledge the facts based on the principle of reciprocity, we do not believe that the truth will come to light even if the working-level discussions continue,” the statement read.

“We have determined that we cannot continue these discussions with South Korea,” it continued.
At the same time, the ministry stressed, “Defense cooperation between Japan and South Korea and among Japan, the US, and South Korea is of paramount importance for maintaining a safe security environment in the Northeast Asian region.”

“We will work sincerely to carry on with Japan-South Korea and Japan-US-South Korea defense cooperation,” it said.

The statement from the Japanese Ministry of Defense was read as signaling that Tokyo is not backing down on its claims, but does not wish to continue with the debate either. Within the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND), some saw the move as suggesting Japan may have begun taking steps toward mending fences. Some observers have raised the possibility that Japan’s position stems from an error or malfunction by the patrol aircraft in question.

Japan failed to produce radar experts during working-level discussions

According to this analysis, the radar used by the South Korean Navy during its rescue of a North Korean fishing boat may have had a similar frequency to STIR. Analysts also suggested that the absence of any radar expert appearing for Japan at working-level discussions in Singapore on Jan. 14 was an indicator of its lack of confidence in being able to prove its claims.

Along with its statement, the Japanese Ministry of Defense also released files of “fire-control radar detection noise” and “search radar noise” it claimed to have been picked up by the patrol aircraft. Patrol aircraft are equipped with radar warning receiver (RWR) systems that converted detected radar waves into sound waves. But a radar expert with South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said, “The detection noise shared by Japan has been processed as mechanical noise.”

“It’s also different from the sound of an ordinary radar warning receiver,” the expert noted. The files released by Japan carried an advisory that “some preservation measures have been taken.”

MND dismisses Japan’s files as “unidentifiable mechanical noises”

The MND immediately voiced its dismay at the statement from Japan.

In a press conference, MND Spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo said, “The electromagnetic wave contact sounds presented by Japan are unidentifiable mechanical noises that allow for no confirmation of the detection time, directional angle, or electromagnetic wave characteristics as we have demanded.”

“We are deeply dismayed at Japan’s announcement that it is suspending discussions to examine the facts,” she added.

Choi also stressed, “The core of this situation is the low-altitude flyby of a Japanese patrol aircraft against a South Korean vessel involved in humanitarian rescue activities, and we reiterate our calls for Japan to apologize and take measures to prevent this from happening again.”

At the same time, the MND pledged to “continue our administration’s efforts to strengthen security collaboration with Japan alongside a robust South Korea-US allied defense system.” The statement echoed the similar one by the Japanese Ministry of Defense emphasizing trilateral defense cooperation with South Korea and the US. Some analysts saw the statements as reflecting US concerns about conflict between Seoul and Tokyo. The dispute between the two sides, which escalated into an international opinion campaign as Seoul countered Japan’s claims with its own, looks to remain a bitter memory in their relations going ahead.

By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer, Noh Ji-won, staff reporter, and Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent