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Japan air traffic controller leaks Obama flight plan on blog

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"At Kansai Airport there is a big screen, where everyone can track the flight paths of all planes coming to Kansai, in real time."

So this is equal to detailed scheduled routes, transit times and flight alttitude of the President? Right!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Someone who is this lacking in judgment shouldn't be allowed to hold any position of responsibility, particularly ones affecting public safety. He deserves a pink slip at the least.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I hope this Japanese idiot traffic controller is fired or at least made to bow deeply in front of the American embassy, real smart! 9/11 and this old fart up loads President Obamas Airforce ONE flight plans? This guy needs a good swift kick in the head!

5 ( +8 / -3 )

"If it was after the flight, does this actually matter?"

If you wanted to do harm to someone, anyone, in the future, wouldn't there be an advantage to have an idea of their possible route and when and how they would arriving?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

He's an air traffic controller and as such he's not allowed to release ANY flight plans, even commercial flights(let alone a head of state), past , present or future.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

This matters.

At the very least it is unprofessional, but it is magnified many times over when it concerns a head of state. The point is, he put the information where it shouldn't have been put - he can't be trusted and he needs to go. Also, you might forgive a teenager for wanting to put some 'cool information' on a blog for friends to see - but someone who works in ATC? Severe lack of judgement.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

How many secrets have held here in Japan? Remember the Aegis ship fiasco ... when a Japanese let its secrets slip to the world. Would you sell a super-secret jet fighter to Japan with the feeling that its secrets would soon be supplied to the "enemy"? The above story just verifies that secrets are not safe here ... especially those involving foreign allies.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I thought Japanese were supposed to be good at secrecy and being vague. This is quite a blunder for an air traffic controller. A regular Joe would have more common sense than to give away the US President's flight plans. What is it with Japanese and all their leaks via Winny and other social media?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

not the sharpest tool in the shed

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I vote to put him in jail, but let him keep his cell, so he can blog his experiences in there, and let his friends know ... that's all he wants right?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If I'm on a plane, I wouldn't trust my life and safety on such irresponsible individuals. When they make clearly irresponsible decisions, who knows what other shenanigans they're capable of. Like with surgeons and doctors, when it involves my health and safety, I would want a real professional handling the situation.

It's so easy to dismiss this................. until it's your ass on that plane that he's playing with.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Mark_Richards

long after the flight occurred seems miniscule at best

When decoys are involved, you generally want that information to be classified. In this case, it's not minuscule "at best".

Even more reprehensible was the fact that he was able to take pictures in the first place. The operation was compromised last year, not last week; the moment he took the pictures.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

What an idiot. Fire him, and maybe even put him in jail for a bit -- let him tweet he's going to prison just before the fact so he can let his friends know.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Very humiliating for the new PM to be apologizing for such acts on his new job.. the culprit most likely will face a prison sentence for leaked information.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Elbuda MexicanoSEP. 11, 2011 - 08:12AM JST I hope this Japanese idiot traffic controller is fired or at least made to bow deeply in front of the American embassy, real smart! 9/11 and this old fart up loads President Obamas Airforce ONE flight plans? This guy needs a good swift kick in the head!

Yes Yes Yes totally this guy really needs to get a good kick alright.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Someone help me here. What's the big deal?

He's an ethical and moral hazard. Who's to say he wouldn't disclose current information?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This idiot should be fired, fined, and jailed immediately.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

pawatan

You can joke all you want about Gitmo but it's standard protocol, in developed nations anyway, that flight plans for aircraft carrying heads of state and other sensitive/vulnerable dignitaries is kept confidential. This would be just as much of a story had the plane not been Air Force One but the transport for any given president, prime minister, chancellor, etc.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

pawatan

As I recently commented on another thread, someone really needs to invent a sarcasm font...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

More justification for the US to provide Japan with less information.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

.Less info should be given to Japan from now on. How about flying US President and Admn. members to Yokota Air Base? Hope they are all staying within the US Embassy in Tokyo for accomodations.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The flight plan appears on the monitor of the traffic control tower. He obviously took the pictures (plans) which were leaked to his blog while Obama's plane was in flight, since the flight plan is automatically deleted when the plane arrives at its destination. This man has been working as a traffic controller at Haneda Airport since 1981. Working thirty years as a traffic controller at the same airport is unprecedented. No sensitive information like this should leak out or even drip out.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Storm in a teacup. Looks like it was just this guys turn to be whipping boy, because some people just can't go a day without taking a dump on somebody.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

a-whole wanted to feel big as lacking in other departments.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

So is this guy a terrorist collaborator or just extremely sad? Giving away secret info like this. Someone asks the problem of this above? Well it means certain people will know exactly what position Obama will be at what time.

So this idiot wanted his friends to see his importance.... Awwww friends, his BFF friends.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

He's in his 50s so he can just retire unless he squandered all his money.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Weird story - either it was released after the event, in which case it's very unprofessional (and probably illegal) but substantively not such a big deal. Or it was released beforehand, in which case it's an extraordinary lapse for a man in his position of responsibility. Wonder if we'll get to find out which?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yomiuri quoted an unnamed senior government official as saying.

aka the opposition

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan should have a スパイ防止法 (anti espionage law) but they don't. There are laws against commercial and industrial secret leaks though. That's why incidents like ボガチョンコフ事件 (what a name lol) occurs.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Someone who is this lacking in judgment shouldn't be allowed to hold any position of responsibility, particularly ones affecting public safety. He deserves a pink slip at the least.

USNinJapan2, agreed. He is only qualified to sweep floor in Tokyo Intl Airport. No judgement/responsibility are required for the job.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

USNinJapan2

You can joke all you want about Gitmo but it's standard protocol, in developed nations anyway, that flight plans for aircraft carrying heads of state and other sensitive/vulnerable dignitaries is kept confidential. This would be just as much of a story had the plane not been Air Force One but the transport for any given president, prime minister, chancellor, etc.

Of course I was joking; all the thumbs down seem to have no sense of humor.

I seriously doubt this would be a story we hear about if it didn't involve POTUS, though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

hold on, wait last year? and we're just now hearing about it? way to be on the ball gaiz.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is not clear whether the information was leaked before or after Obama flew from Seoul to Tokyo for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in November.

If it was after the flight, does this actually matter?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Fire this guy. Make an example of him. He tried to kill my President. Maybe he hoped Al Qaeda was paying attention.

Anyway, this is good. Now Obama can start to see Japanese as they really are. He'll remember that.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Maybe they purposely leaked info in an attempt to get terrorists to reveal themselves with false information?

Nah they wouldn't be that smart.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Oh no, he made the US mad! Secret rendition and Gitmo for him.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I can see doing it to bush, but obama?

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Leaking a flight plan, route of travel, and altitude data long after the flight occurred seems miniscule at best.

If standard ATC radar and a transponder can detect and track AF1, then so can the spy satellites of other nations.

Someone help me here. What's the big deal?

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

“wanted his friends to see”

“wanted his chinese (?) friends to see” - so such funny!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

is it a leak if he put it on his own blog?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

At Kansai Airport there is a big screen, where everyone can track the flight paths of all planes coming to Kansai, in real time.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

is ok, he still alive... ;)

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

I can see doing this Obama. I can definitely see it.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

and when did osama even come to japan? last year? move on

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Obama is not the president of the whole world. If an American, in America does such a thing, then American laws can take care of the situation. But this is a Japanese citizen, in Japan. End of case. Good on the guy anyway, I would rather have guys like him, who take their job seriously and even do it as a hobby, than one of those other types who keep falling asleep.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

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