Japanese police arrested a former Aviation Self-Defense Force colonel on suspicion of leaking information about U.S.-made military aircraft seven years ago, which was classified under Japanese law, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
Japanese police say Kanno, a 58-year-old retired colonel, allegedly showed a trading company employee the performance data of an AWACS machine displayed on his computer around January 9, 2013, who was not authorized to visit information about the Irima base in Saitama Prefecture. Kanno left the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 2017.
Sugano is also allegedly providing the trading company employee with a USB storage device containing the data, which was designated as a special military secret under the 1954 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. According to police investigators, Sano denied the allegation.
Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters after Kanno's arrest that it was not possible to confirm whether the information had been leaked to a third country. Kono said the incident "could damage public confidence and the relationship of trust between the United States and Japan."
According to police, at the time of the suspected leak, Kanno was the head of the planning department of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Air Research and Development and Testing Command.
Japanese police said the U.S. government provided Sugano with classified information around 2010, which he provided to a trading company employee who then handed over the USB device to an employee of a U.S. aircraft manufacturer that was a competitor to the type of early warning aircraft maker in July 2013.
According to police, the rival manufacturer later informed the U.S. government of the leak.
Japanese law prohibits the collection or disclosure of special military classified information such as the structure and capabilities of warships, aircraft and other equipment provided to Japan by the United States under bilateral agreements, and violators face up to 10 years in prison.
(Editor: ZLQ)