Japan's submarine Soryu (SS-501)
collision with bulk carrier ship Ocean Artemis may be more
damaging politically than financially. Is is embarrassing for the Japanese Navy and Defense Ministry. Also Ocean Artemis is
a Hong Kong (increasingly meaning China) flagged
ship with around 20 Chinese crew.
Maritime tensions have been raised because recently China's Navy and Coast Guard have increased pressure on Japan in the East China Sea over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands dispute.
On November 9, 2020 I wrote about the coming Chinese Coast Guard "fire on law" in waters China claims sovereignty (mainly in the East China and South China seas).
The Chinese Government, in January 2021, passed that law.
Coast Guard fire on activity is not restricted to China. In December 2001 a Japanese Coast Guard vessel fired on and sank a North Korean vessel in the so-called "Battle of Amami-Oshima". Fifteen North Koreans were killed for no loss of Japanese lives.
Now in 2021 the Japanese Government continues to permit its Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels under certain circumstances eg: firing on "foreign official vessels aiming to land on the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea".
Hi Pete
ReplyDeleteSean Spoonts’ article [1] is against the fact. He said “The damage to the freighter is believed to be negligible and the government of Japan has issued a statemnent [2] expressing regret to Communist China” in his article. But, in original [2], NHK said Minister of Defense Kishi showed regret for the accident itself. In HP of MoD, he also apologized Japanese citizen for worrying and said the cause of the accident being under investigation [3].
[1] https://sofrep.com/news/japanese-submarine-soryu-damaged-surfaces-under-chinese-freighter/
[2] https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210208_37/ (by NHK world - Japan)
[3]https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/kisha/2021/0211a_r.html
Regards
Hi Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that mistake.
I've removed the sentence "... expressing regret to Communist China" accordingly.
Regards
Pete