Tuesday, April 3 3:59 PM SGT

New US nuclear sub incident infuriates Japanese

TOKYO, April 3 (AFP) - Local outrage over the arrival of a US nuclear-powered submarine at a Japanese port allegedly without prior notification threatened Tuesday to blow up into a full-scale diplomatic row.

Foreign minister Yohei Kono told reporters the government would withhold cooperation from the US Navy until it had received a proper explanation as to why a US submarine arrived unannounced at the port.

"As far as I am concerned, we cannot cooperate with nuclear submarines entering Japanese ports until we hear the report," Kono told reporters.

His comments followed anger expressed by local politicians who claimed the USS Chicago arrived unannounced Monday at Sasebo, a port about 800 kilometres (500 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

The submarine had allegedly turned up without giving 24 hours' prior notification, as has been the case in every other such visit since 1964, Kyodo News agency said.

Tensions over the massive US military presence in Japan have been running high ever since the February 9 ramming of the Ehime Maru fishery training vessel off Hawaii by another nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Greeneville, which left nine Japanese dead.

"Although this is not the same as the Ehime Maru accident, we need to consider the feelings of people in Sasebo and Nagasaki," Kono said.

"I have instructed my staff to ask the United States why the submarine made a call without prior notification, and demand sternly that it clearly confirm the cause of the incident and report the finding to the Japanese government."

Nuclear issues are also extremely sensitive in the Nagasaki area, where Sasebo is located, because of the atomic bombing of the city by the Americans at the end of World War II.

US Navy spokesman Commander James Graybeal told AFP the submarine had visited the harbour for approximately 20 minutes, but he disputed the Japanese side's assertion that no notice had been given, saying instead there had been an administrative mix-up.

"That's not 100 percent true. We notified the MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) that the Chicago would be conducting a personnel transfer at a specific location in the vicinity of Sasebo harbour," he said.

"Unfortunately due to an administrative mistake on the Navy's part, the sub was assigned to an anchorage which was not the one notified. The the ship went to a different location from the one notified."

Although stating the wrong anchorage location, the notification was sent 48 hours ahead of the planned visit, in line with a specific agreement with the foreign ministry concerning Sasebo used because the local authorities there needed longer to make preparations, Graybeal said.

He added that the distance between the anchorage notified, just outside the mouth of Sasebo harbour, and the one actually used which was just inside the mouth, was about six miles (9.6 kilometres), but that the submarine did not drop anchor or tie up dockside.

The spokesman said he had seen press reports that Nagasaki prefectural governor Genjiro Kaneko had called the incident an "unfaithful act", and that Sasebo's mayor, Akira Mitustake, was "very angered".

Graybeal said he was not aware of any formal complaints, but that the navy was preparing responses to questions sent on behalf of the foreign minister.

"We will cooperate with government of Japan to determine what exactly the problem is. What we need to do is have a dialogue with the government of Japan," he said.

-- (no@coo.th), April 03, 2001

Answers

What a Charlie foxtrot.

Gosh, kids- I wonder what sort of personnel would be transferring as quickly as possible onto a fast attack sub equipped for special ops? Good thing they kept it so quiet...

snip

US Navy spokesman Commander James Graybeal told AFP the submarine had visited the harbour for approximately 20 minutes, but he disputed the Japanese side's assertion that no notice had been given, saying instead there had been an administrative mix-up.

"That's not 100 percent true. We notified the MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) that the Chicago would be conducting a personnel transfer at a specific location in the vicinity of Sasebo harbour," he said.

end of snip

Let's see: about 1000NM from Japan to Taiwan, another 800or so to Hainan...Los Angeles class does about 28 kts invisible with the hammer down...well, if they're the calvary, they are at least 72 hours away.

Unless somebody was getting OFF the boat....

Quid Pro Quo for the WTO or a Show Trial: take your pick. But the PRC is handling this badly, and that Son of a Bush in the Whitehouse is a diplomatic lightweight.

If past is prologue, expect the Chinese to have completly mislead us so far. I have my doubts about the safety of the crew. Hope there weren't any Rambos on either side when that plane was boarded. I bet we'll hear about more radio messages from the crew soon, too.

-- (AlienN@tion.ch), April 03, 2001.

Bet the PRC is REAL curious where the Chicago is about now.

-- (alien@tion.ch), April 05, 2001.

The curtain rises on Act Two

http://www.gertzfile.com/InsidetheRing.html

April 13th, 2001

Chinese feared raid

Pentagon intelligence officials said China's military was ready to repulse a covert U.S. military attack on Hainan Island to capture the detained American crew and its damaged EP-3E Aries II intelligence- gathering plane. Chinese military commanders ordered a special command post set up on Hainan Island, the South China Sea island where the crew made an emergency landing April 1. Every night the best time for such raids the Chinese are placing concrete barriers at either end of the damaged EP-3E aircraft just in case U.S. commandos attack and try to get the intelligence-gathering plane out of the country.

Officials told us unspecified military options were discussed among top Bush administration national security officials during the standoff, but only in the remote chance the 24 hostages were being mistreated, tortured or killed. Special forces commando units in Japan were readied just in case.

...

-- (alien@tion.ch), April 13, 2001.