Japan's Icom investigating radio devices carrying its logo after Lebanon blasts

TOKYO – Japanese radio equipment maker Icom Inc. said on Thursday that it was investigating the facts regarding news reports that two-way radio devices bearing its logo have exploded in Lebanon.

Hand-held radios used by the armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south, after similar explosions of the group's pagers the day before. Images of the exploded walkie-talkies showed labels with "ICOM" and "made in Japan."

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Icom says it is not possible to confirm whether the radio product reportedly related to the explosions was shipped by their company, Reuters reported. It added that batteries required to operate the device, for which sales were discontinued about 10 years ago, have also already been discontinued. Additionally, it stated that its products exported overseas undergo "strict regulatory process set by Japanese government."

Taiwan pagers link

Meanwhile, Taiwan's national security team is "paying great attention" to the detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, the island's Defence minister said, after a Taiwanese firm was linked to the pagers' production, Reuters reports.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company that has a license to use its brand.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the government was closely watching developments.

"After the news came out, my understanding is that at present the relevant national security bodies are paying great attention to this," he said, without elaborating. Koo was speaking on Wednesday, in comments embargoed until Thursday.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has not claimed responsibility for the detonations that killed nine people. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza conflict erupted last October.

Israel, like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the two maintain de facto embassies and have close, though unofficial, ties.

Taipei moved quickly to condemn the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants, which triggered the Gaza war, and offered Taiwan's strong support and sympathy to Israel.

Israel's envoy in Taipei said last year that Taiwan had been a "good friend" whose support Israel has appreciated, but China's response to the Oct. 7 attack has been "disturbing."

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Koo, asked whether Israel had given Taiwan a heads-up about the explosions or whether the two had security or intelligence exchanges, said Taipei did not have that kind of a relationship with the country.

Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang, sitting next to Koo, said the public information from the company was that the pagers were not made by it.

When it came to international cooperation, Taiwan wanted the sort that helped maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait, he added.

"Not the kind that involves any possible provocative actions outside the region," Sun said.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Lee Hui-chih reiterated that pagers exported from the island "do not have a problem with exploding".

National security units are watching online rumors suspected of originating from abroad that seek to "maliciously" link Taiwan's government to the case, Lee added.

"This is not the case. I remind people to pay attention to fake online information," she said.