Japanese media reported Saturday that Japan's release of video footage related to an ongoing military radar dispute with South Korea was at the order of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 

According to the Sankei, Mainichi and Tokyo Shimbun newspapers, Abe informally summoned Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya to his office on Thursday and ordered the video's release.

On Friday, Japan's Defense Ministry released on its Web site and YouTube what it called video evidence of its claim that a South Korean Navy warship had directed its fire control radar toward a Japanese patrol aircraft last week.

The release came just a day after the two sides began working-level talks via video conferencing to seek a resolution of the issue.

The Tokyo Shimbun said the move will serve to increase South Korea's protests, noting that the defense minister was also cautious about releasing the footage but this changed at the prime minister's order.

The Mainichi Shimbun speculated Abe is trying to escalate the radar row with Seoul in a bid to salvage the recent plunge in his administration's approval ratings. The daily analyzed that the Abe government may be using the radar dispute to sway public opinion at home.

In response to the release of the 13-minute-long video clip, Seoul’s Defense Ministry expressed concern and regret, saying the video does not prove Tokyo's claim that a South Korean destroyer directed its fire control radar toward a Japanese patrol aircraft.

The ministry said the destroyer was conducting a normal rescue operation to help a North Korean ship drifting in the East Sea and did not deploy its radar against Japan.

Even some Japanese experts argue the video is not sufficient to support Tokyo's claim.