MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tokyo became the latest subject of illegal NSA mass surveillance to be revealed by WikiLeaks. Dubbed “Target Tokyo,” the documents show 35 Japanese cabinet officials and private companies listed as US surveillance targets.
WikiLeaks’ first NSA intercept, dated 2007, cited a so-called Abe initiative, the Japanese government’s goal to cut carbon emissions in half by 2050.
“The MFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] was considering not informing the US in advance of its intention, because the ministry did not expect Washington to approve of such a goal,” the NSA report stated.
It went on to say Abe ultimately decided to disclose his plan to former US President George W. Bush at a bilateral summit in Washington that spring.
“Masakazu Toyoda of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry expressed frustration at this criticism, then laid out three advantages of the sectoral approach,” the top secret document stated.
The three benefits delineated by Toyoda, cited by the US intelligence agency, included attracting countries like China, India and the United States, allowing developed countries to cut corners in carbon emission reductions, and not generating losses for industries and economies in both developed and developing countries.
“Obtaining an agreement to use a sector-based cumulative approach for medium-term emissions reduction targets for individual countries was mentioned as one of the key objectives,” the report stated.
The report was marked for sharing with the US’ “Five Eyes” alliance, which includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
