Drone Footage of JS Izumo “Likely Real” Says Japanese Ministry of Defense

Back in March, a video depicting a drone flying over the Japanese helicopter destroyer (de facto light aircraft carrier) JS Izumo was published on Bilibili – China’s equivalent of YouTube. In the 20-second video, the ship appears to be in port at Yoksuka Naval Base which lies near the exit of Tokyo Bay.  The camera-equipped drone first approaches the aft of the vessel, and then overflies the deck of the ship.

The video in question.

At the time, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated it was investigating the incident but reported that video is likely an AI-generated fake. However, on May 9t, the MoD shared that its analysis found the video to be “likely real” after all.

The confirmation led to concerns over the security of Japanese Naval facilities. Flying drones near and above Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) facilities is prohibited under Japanese law, and had an attack drone been launched with a mission to damage or destroy Japanese naval assets, the video suggests the mission would have likely succeeded. In response, the MoD stated that:

“We intend to ensure base security through initiatives such as the early introduction of more capable drone countermeasure equipment and thorough measures to take strict and prompt measures within the scope of the law, such as forcing the landing of illegal drones by jamming radio waves.”

A tweet on the MoD report by a member of Japan’s House of Representatives.

Criticism has also surfaced over the fact that it took a full month for the ministry to verify the authenticity of the footage.  

Another video and images of the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan were also uploaded by the same Chinese user. However, the Japanese Ministry of Defense refused to provide any commentary stating that the video was taken at a US facility outside of Japanese jurisdiction.

Japanese reporters also asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry about the incident at a 9 May, press conference but the Foreign Ministry spokesperson refused to provide any comments.