Japanese Patrol Boat Sinks Unidentified Vessel

AP | 12/22/01 | Mari Yamaguchi

[anniegetyourgun]

TOKYO (AP) - An unidentified fishing boat that defense officials said might have been spying sank off southwestern Japan on Saturday after trading gunfire with Japanese coast guard vessels. The boat, which was marked with Chinese characters, was cruising in Japan's exclusive economic zone near Amami Oshima island when it was detected by a Japanese naval aircraft on Friday. Patrol vessels and aircraft chased the boat Saturday after it disregarded orders to stop and fled west toward China.

After firing several warning shots, a coast guard vessel hit the stern of the boat with a burst of machine-gun fire on Saturday afternoon, starting a blaze that was later extinguished, Japan Coast Guard spokesman Yoji Osaka said.

The boat briefly halted after being hit, then resumed its flight. It stopped a second time Saturday evening and was surrounded by four Japanese vessels, but rough seas prevented boarding, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told reporters.

The unidentified ship later traded fire with the Japanese vessels, wounding a coast guard sailor, the Coast Guard said. It then sank, leaving its 15 crew members adrift.

Defense officials who examined photographs of the boat said that it appeared similar to two suspected North Korean spy ships that were chased out of Japanese waters by patrol craft in March 1999, according to a Defense Agency official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Warning shots were fired in that incident, but the intruders were not hit or apprehended.

The Kyodo News agency reported, however, that some government officials suspected that the boat that sank Saturday was a Chinese smuggling vessel.

[corkoman]

sounds like the opening shots from the Pearl Harbor episode but with a little twist.

[anniegetyourgun]

I dunno why, but I have a feeling that the Chinese are wont to make a big deal over this....

[rface]

author: Yamaguchi

I loved that Karate Kid movie.

[MinuteGal]

Are those fifteen crew members still drifting?

Leni

[VadeRetro]

Are those fifteen crew members still drifting?

Had they picked them up, they might have found out what the ship was and from where.

[RaceBannon]

Oh, Goodness, we are going to see Japan re-arm again!!!

[Little John]

... Oh, Goodness, we are going to see Japan re-arm again!!! ...

They already have !

[Eternal_Bear]

Way to go! Let the Commies whine!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Japanese destroyers are built from present-day US destroyer blueprints. They would pass US Bureau of Ships measures but are not built as heavily as US military vessels.

[John H K]

Yeah, it's weird how people think the Japanese don't have a military...they have modified F-15s, they have destroyers with Aegis-radars. They ALREADY re-armed. They have one of the largest defense budgets in the world, and are spending as much on defense as the People's Republic of China.

The Japanese Navy is superior to the Chinese Navy, for one, and their Air Force would kick the crap out of the Chinese too, I suspect. Only thing they are missing are nukes, and if they decided to (which they won't) they could have those in months.

[genefromjersey]

The fools !! Did they not realize the unidentified vessel was searching for traces of Godzilla ???

[Little John]

..... Only thing they are missing are nukes, and if they decided to (which they won't) they could have those in months.....

Don't be too sure they don't have them already.

A few years ago I read an extensive article which alleged that they have actually done all the work and manufactureed the components but just not put them all together in order to technically fullfill the requirements of their constitution. They would never announce the full story to avoid the public outcry that would surely bring down the government if it became public knowlege at any time other than during a grave threat to Japan.

I have no idea as to the accuracy of that part of the article but it was quite accurate on discussing their current conventional arms and predicting their recent changes in deployment policies that have come to pass.

Regards

[TheOtherOne]

An unidentified boat speeds way trying to escape from a Japan Coast Guard's vessel (R) in waters about 155 miles northwest of Japanese southwestern island of Amami-Oshima December 22, 2001. A Japan's Coast Guard ship fired warning shots against the boat, which ignored orders to stop after being spotted in international waters near the Japanese island, a Coast Guard spokesman said. (Reuters - Handout)

[angler_freeper]

Japan will not re-arm. It has learned its lesson from WWII, and the only reason it will not re-arm is because it can not match up with United State. They are smart, they are patient. They will enjoy the free protection from US as long as it needs and as long as US can provide with US money. Meanwhile, Japan will use its money to keep its economy afloat. Japan's only hope is the decline of US. By God hope this will never happen, but if the time really comes, the second Pearl Harbor would not be at Hawaii, and it is not going to be just the Pacific Fleet.

[Little John]

.... Japan will not re-arm. .....

That statement is just plain wrong ...... they already have.

..... the only reason it will not re-arm is because it can not match up with United State.....

I suggest you look at a map for a rather large neighbor of Japan whose name begins with Chi....

..... Meanwhile, Japan will use its money to keep its economy afloat.....

Have you read anything about the Jap economy in the last 5-8 years. It has cratered.

There is another thread on this subject that has some pretty good links that will open your eyes a bit regarding Japans military powers.

[angler_freeper]

Japan is armed, there is no doubt. But it is only at 10% of its potential. And this is already more than enough to defend itself from any threat from any country in Asia. Even at present level, Japan's military expense is twice as much as China's. During WWII, Japan's economy size was only about 10% of the size of USA. But now it is more than half of ours. Just think how far Japan can go if it really wants to arm itself. Japan is selfish (Every country is selfish except our good old Unite States of Amnesia). No much can be seen from military side for the past 50 years, but on the economic side, US has been sticked many times by Japan when things did not go well. Just see what they did during the last economy crisis in 1998. Japan's economy will keep going down for the next 5 to 10 years, and it will keep dragging us down with it. And by then, the Japanese will be even bitter. And guess whom they will put their blame on. There are no permanent friends on the international scene. They took our jobs away in the 70's and 80's, and now they invest more and more of their money in China. They only do things best for their own interest. And if Japan is armed to the teeth the seond time, it will only do it for Japan.