Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Wednesday that the ministry is monitoring the movements of a suspected mainland Chinese nuclear-powered submarine in Japanese territorial waters. The MND officials made the remarks in the wake of an Agence France Presse report that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had expressed regret over the vessel entering Japan's territorial waters. The submarine was detected in Japanese waters near islands disputed with China about 300 kilometers southwest of Okinawa, a southern Japanese island home to a major U.S. military base, according to the report. The officials said that through information swapping, they are keeping abreast of the vessel's movements. Based on various pieces of information received, the officials said that while they have initially concluded that the vessel is on a deep-sea training trip, they will continue to monitor it closely. (By Lilian Wu) ENDITEM/J
Между островами Miyako и Ishigaki крестик стоит
Расстояние большое
Japan's navy gives chase to suspicious sub
The government ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) to chase an unidentified submarine that was spotted in Japan's territorial waters around southwestern Okinawa Prefecture Wednesday morning, a government spokesman said.
The submarine subsequently left Japan's territorial waters, but the MSDF remains on full alert in case it intrudes into territorial waters again, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a news conference.
"It's extremely regrettable. We need to clarify the purpose of the intrusion and the nationality of the submarine among other questions," Hosoda said.
Crewmembers of an MSDF P3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft spotted the submarine in seas off Miyako and Ishigaki islands, southwestern Okinawa Prefecture, early Wednesday morning. At 8:45 a.m., Defense Agency Director General Yoshinori Ono ordered the MSDF to chase the submarine after receiving approval from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Following the order, the MSDF dispatched more P3C aircraft and a destroyer to the area. However, Hosoda said the MSDF did not issue any warning to the submarine.
Even through the submarine left Japan's territorial waters, the P3C aircraft is continuing to pursue the vessel. The nationality of the submarine has not yet been confirmed.
The Defense Agency chief issued the order under Article 82 of the SDF Law. This is the second time that Japan issued such an order following one issued in March 1999 when a North Korean spy ship entered Japan's territorial waters in the Sea of Japan.
The clause allows the Defense Agency chief to order SDF, with permission from the prime minister, to go into action in the sea to keep law and order in cases of crises the Japan Coast Guard cannot cope with on its own. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 10, 2004)
