Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2011 April 13 - 19 [GREAT EAST JAPAN DISASTER]

Use images gathered by spy satellites: JCP Yoshii

Yoshii Hidekatsu of the Japanese Communist Party on April 13 demanded that images collected by information-gathering satellites (IGS) be utilized for search and rescue work in the disaster-hit areas as well as for analysis of the nuclear accident site.

Yoshii at a House of Representatives Cabinet Committee meeting stated that the government had poured more than 800 billion yen in tax money in operating these satellites by claiming that “responding to a massive disaster” is also an important role they have.

Yoshii emphasized the importance of satellite images in providing information on the tsunami-stricken areas where no roads remained.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio said, “I can’t tell you the satellites’ specific abilities and their use for diplomatic, defense, and security reasons.”

Yoshii stated, “Although 824.8 billion yen has already been used since 1998 for the IGSs, they are basically useless in reporting on large-scale disasters.” He criticized the IGS project as a waste of tax revenue.