Japanese Coast Guard Ship Rams Intruding Chinese Boat and Chases it Away

Donga Ilbo ^ | 10/27/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my translation

Japanese Coast Guard Ship Rams Intruding Chinese Boat and Chases it Away

On Oct. 27, a Japanese Coast Guard ship is ramming and driving away a Chinese ship carrying members of "Treaty-Defending Committee" from Hong Kong, who tried to land on Daoyutai(aka Senkaku) Island, a disputed island in E. China Sea. Chinese came into an area Japan claims as its territorial waters, but turned back after sustaining heavy damage to their ship.

/end my translation

[lentulusgracchus]

Looks like that Chinese tub is flying the Hong Kong flower flag from the head of her kingpost aft, and a Chicom rag from a jackstaff forward, lower down......violation of Chinese law......

I don't doubt for a second that that BS Chinese "committee" is wall-to-wall PLA men and BuDer operations types.

[lentulusgracchus]

That Chinese skipper can start worrying if the Coast Guardsman breaks out the old IJN Rising Sun ensign -- the sunburst pattern. Then it's on. But in the photo, the cutter is flying the civilian meatball flag.

[Left2Right]

Nice.

[theFIRMbss]

[valispkd]

That rifle is not European one. It's japan's home manufactured rifle called "Type 89 Assault rifle".

[valispkd]

Wow! you have keen eyes.
JSDF and J-Coast guard uses Sig sidearms.

[B-Chan]

The JMSA (Japan Maritime Safety Agency, aka Japan Coast Guard) is a civilian maritime law-enforcement and rescue agency, not a military organization.

(Our United States Coast Guard is likewise an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, not a military force. In time of war, the Coast Guard assumes the status of a military force and its administration is transferred to the Department of Defense.)

It's important to note that strictly speaking Japan has no military forces of any kind. Under Article 9 of the Japanese constitution (which we wrote), military forces are forbidden to Japan forever. Such armed forces are may be maintained (Japan has four) are by law "police agencies", and may only be employed for law enforcement, including the protection of the nation's legal boundaries. Thus all Japanese armed forces are de jure "homeland security" forces, and all armed forces members are de jure civilians -- employees of the Japanese civil service -- not sworn soldiers.

[Tallguy]

Nice pickup on the "brass catcher"! I had missed that.

[Fishing-guy]

What the article doesn't mention is that Chinese from Taiwan also sent ships on this trip. The fishing boat from Hong Kong was dilapidated and probably designed to be beached on the isle or rammed, in this case.

BTW, Diaoyutai belongs to ROC, Taiwan. The Japanese are just sacrificing their ships on somebody else's land. LOL.

[Natural Law]

Its no coincidence that the Chinese boat is the funky, rusty one and the Japanese boat is the pristine one.

[GATOR NAVY]

These guys were practicing shoulding:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1498970/posts

[Mr. Silverback]

We should simply announce we are giving a nuclear weapon to Japan for every nuke we think North Korea has, with the proviso that if North Korea verifiably eliminates all of it's nuclear weapons, Japan will give them back.

I like your plan. I also like Krauthammer's plan. He says we should tell NK that until they verifiably end their nuke program, we will treat any terrorist nuclear detonationanywhere on Earth as a nuclear first strike against the United States by NK, and respond accordingly.

[Mr. Silverback]

There probably wasn't shooting for the same reason that there wasn't much shooting between the Royal Navy and the Icelandic coast guard during the Cod Wars--shooting can lead to escalation a lot faster than playing bumper cars.

[Mr. Silverback]

1930s redux. I wouldn't wish the Japanese brand of aggression on my worst enemy.

I'm not sure you could be further off. Not only is Japan not being aggressive here, but the sort of aggression they practiced then is literally impossible no because of their declining population. We have nothing to fear and much to gain from a stronger Japan.

Get Democrats out of our pockets and Republicans out of our bedrooms.

When was there a Republican in your bedroom?

[Mr. Silverback]

I wouldn't put covert stuff past them (good for them if they're kicking butt) but when you're operating on a ship brass is a huge trip and slip hazard. The last thing you want to do is be looking at your feet and the deck when you should be looking for targets.

[Caipirabob]

I like your plan. I also like Krauthammer's plan. He says we should tell NK that until they verifiably end their nuke program, we will treat any terrorist nuclear detonationanywhere on Earth as a nuclear first strike against the United States by NK, and respond accordingly.

I believe that message was already delivered in so many words per Kim(mentally)Il's recent apology.

He's still ashes should anything even look like it's going to go boom somewhere.

Oh, and the Chinese really aren't interested in some wack-job NK dictator getting all bent out of shape when they are investing so much in the upcoming Olympics. Someone detonating nukes next door simply wasn't "appreciated" by the Chi-Coms.

There was so much in play and it has buried so fast, we'll never know the truth of things.

In the end, I think your thoughts approached pretty close to what really happened.

[Mr. Silverback]

I hope so. Otherwise the only choice is to jam that country shut...blockade everything. Mine their harbors, shoot down any air traffic that tries to leave their air space, kill anything larger than a Mini Cooper coming across any land border...could get messy.

[lentulusgracchus]

Good point, thanks!

[af_vet_rr]

Meanwhile, the US Navy is giving tours to Chinese military officials.

[kevin_in_so_cal]

To everyone that is pro nuclear Japan:

As much as I would like to see it, I don't think it's going to happen. In the latest Missile Defence Briefing Report, they claim, through AFP, that:

"Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his government is committed to “strengthen[ing] the Japan-US alliance, including on missile defense." Abe’s government, however, took pains to make clear that it is not seeking a nuclear option in response to the mounting threat from the DPRK. "The government of Japan has no position at all to consider going nuclear," Foreign Minister Taro Aso has told Rice. "There is no need to arm ourselves with nuclear weapons, either."

I find their stance on missile defence most promising. I think we have a bright future with Japan.