Japanese Govt. withholds photos taken by expensive satellites, citing security reasons

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110924p2a00m0na015000c.html

Govt. withholds photos taken by expensive satellites, citing security reasons

The cost-benefit performance of Information Gathering Satellites (IGSs), which the government has launched at a cost of some 800 billion yen in taxpayers money, remains unclear because the photos they have taken and the details of their operations have been withheld.

The government has said that the satellites, which are aimed primarily at monitoring military facilities in North Korea and other countries, also play an important role in gathering information in the event of a massive natural disaster.

Following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Cabinet secretariat that operates the satellites compiled maps showing the situation at disaster-hit areas with images from the satellites. They distributed copies to the Prime Minister's Office, police, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, and other bodies.

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However, the Cabinet secretariat has withheld releasing the satellite images themselves on the grounds that it could adversely affect the security of Japan. Because of this, government bodies were forced to buy photos of the tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant taken by a U.S. commercial satellite for approximately 36 million yen.

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(Mainichi Japan) September 24, 2011