In the call, Abe asked for an explanation and told Biden that if the alleged spying is true, it would damage the relationship between the two allies, Japan's Kyodo News Agency cited a government source as reporting.
Biden offered an apology, the report said, but it has not been confirmed by the US government.
In Washington, the White House said in a news release that the vice president spoke with Abe over phone, in which he "reaffirmed the United States' commitment made by President Obama in a 2014 presidential directive to focus on our intelligence collection on national security interests."
Biden underscored the US commitment to the two countries' alliance and thanked Abe for his enduring partnership, said the statement.
The Wikileaks website on last Friday posted US National Security Agency (NSA) reports and a list of 35 Japanese targets for telephone intercepts, including the Japanese Cabinet Office, the Bank of Japan, the country's finance and trade ministries, and major Japanese trading companies.
According to the website, the eavesdropping dated back to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first government in 2006, and one report from telephone intercepts of senior Japanese officials could have been shared with Australia, Canada, Britain and New Zealand -- the US intelligence partners.
Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
5/8/15
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Japan PM calls for probe into WikiLeaks claims of US spying...
ReplyDeleteJapanese leader Shinzo Abe told US Vice President Joe Biden he would have "serious concerns" if WikiLeaks claims that Washington spied on Japanese politicians were true, and called for an investigation, a top official said Wednesday (Aug 5).
Tokyo's Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Biden had apologised to the Japanese prime minister in a telephone call for "causing troubles", without confirming the spying claims. WikiLeaks said Friday it had intercepts revealing years-long spying by the US National Security Agency (NSA) on Japanese officials and major companies.
"Prime Minister Abe told (Biden) that, if figures in Japan were in fact subject to these activities, it would risk jeopardising the trusting relations between allies and he would have to express serious concern," Suga told a regular press briefing. Abe "also requested that the case be investigated and (Washington) supply an explanation".
On Monday, Suga called the claims "deeply regrettable", but Tokyo's response was widely seen as muted compared to the anger expressed in France and Germany following similar NSA spying allegations.
Japan is one of Washington's key allies in the Asia-Pacific region and they regularly consult on defence, economic and trade issues..................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/japan-pm-calls-for-probe/2031534.html