U.S. plays down reports of spying on EU, other allies

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30. Japan seeks confirmation of Snowden revelations on tapping embassies

TOKYO, July 1 (RAPSI) - The Japanese government has requested official confirmation from the US authorities that the Japanese embassy was among the 38 diplomatic missions tapped by the National Security Agency, the Kyodo News agency reported Monday.

As reported by The Guardian, the document, dated September 2010, lists 38 embassies and diplomatic missions designated as NSA "targets". The list includes not only countries which have tense relations with the United States, but Washington's allies as well. The special service has reportedly spied on the missions of the European Union, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India and Turkey. However, the document does not mention other Western European countries such as the UK or Germany.

"We have requested confirmation of this information through diplomatic channels," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, commenting on The Guardian's information.

The NSA was reportedly intercepting communications from the EU mission in Washington and New York, and hacked into their computer networks, the German magazine Spiegel wrote last Saturday, also citing Snowden's revelations. EU governments have expressed concerns over the news and demanded explanations form Washington. The United States has expressed readiness to discuss the outrageous revelations through diplomatic channels.

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