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Fake Kyodo Story on Chinese Invasion of Okinawa on Pseudo Yahoo Site

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Oct. 19--TOKYO -- A fabricated news article carrying a false Kyodo News credit has been posted on a pseudo Yahoo! News website announcing that Chinese warplanes have invaded Japanese airspace over Okinawa.

Kyodo News and Yahoo Japan Corp., which have reported the incident to police, said they are considering taking legal action against the person who produced the fake article.

Yoshimasa Tanabe, a senior official at Kyodo News, said, "The story is a fabricated one and is totally groundless, and Kyodo News has nothing to do with the website."

"The incident is regrettable because it undermines public confidence in Kyodo News, and we will take necessary steps after investigating the case," he said.

A public relations official at Yahoo Japan said it is "an unforgivable act" as the website used the logo of Yahoo's news site.

On Wednesday afternoon, a 30-year-old man in the city of Nagasaki telephoned Kyodo News' Nagasaki bureau and said, "I did it, and I regret it." He said he had wanted to attract public attention.

The police are investigating whether the man is indeed responsible for the fake report.

The site, using a logo mimicking that of Internet portal Yahoo!

Japan's news site, carried the fabricated article saying that the Pentagon had announced the "invasion" early Tuesday.

The false report said the military action took place in connection with China's gas exploration projects in the East China Sea.

The article, dated Tuesday and ostensibly dispatched from "America," also says U.S. forces, Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Chinese forces had been exchanging fire in Okinawa airspace.

The website also carried other news articles which are linked to news stories on the genuine Yahoo website.

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To see more of Kyodo News International, go to http://www.kyodonews.com

Copyright (c) 2005, Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

4689, SFTBF, 9984, YHOO,

Source: Kyodo News International, Tokyo

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