What Japan said about the blasted walkie-talkies in Lebanon

 

A logo of a Japanese company was found on the walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon. However, the Japanese company has stated that the exploded walkie-talkies do not belong to them. They claim that they stopped production of this device nearly a decade ago.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 32 people, including Hezbollah members and civilians, were killed and more than 3,100 were injured in the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Based on images and videos from after the attack, the devices are believed to be IC-V82 transceivers made by Osaka-based telecommunications manufacturer Icom. However, Icom has stated that they have not produced or exported the IC-V82 for the past 10 years. Furthermore, they are not manufacturing the batteries required to operate the devices.

Meanwhile, the company has informed the BBC that it is aware of the explosion of a radio bearing the Icom logo in Lebanon, and they have confirmed that an investigation is underway regarding the matter. The IC-V82 is a walkie-talkie that was produced from 2004 until October 2014, and during that time, these devices were exported to the Middle East. Icom has also stated that all of its radios are manufactured in the same factory in Japan and that it sells products to foreign markets only through authorized channels. Icom stated that the production of the device was halted 10 years ago, and since then, the device has not been sent from our company. However, the BBC has reported that this device is still available for sale on online marketplaces. It is still unclear at which point in the supply chain explosives were placed in these devices. It is also not yet clear whether the exploded devices are old Icom devices or counterfeit. Source: BBC