Japan wants to raise ship sunk during weekend battle

Ananova ^ | 12/25/2001 | Staff

[ex-Texan]

Japan wants to raise ship sunk during weekend battle

Japan will try to raise a suspected spy ship that they sank to help determine what measures to take against the country it came from.

The government has refused to speculate publicly on the ship's origin, but independent analysts suggest it may have been North Korean.

Transportation Minister Chikage Ogi announced the wreckage would be retrieved as Japanese aircraft and patrol boats called off their hunt for a second suspicious boat after identifying it as a Japanese fishing trawler.

Ms Ogi says retrieving the wreckage is a crucial step as Japan decides what measures to take to respond to the high-seas shootout, in which two sailors died and another 13 are missing. But she declined to give other details.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi backed plans to raise the boat.

"One thought is that by raising the ship, we could get more evidence as to the nationality of the boat," Mr Koizumi's spokesman Hideichi Okada said.

Mr Okada cautioned that raising the vessels could pose diplomatic challenges because it sank just outside Chinese territorial waters in China's exclusive economic zone. Any talk of lifting it from the bottom would require coordination with Beijing.

A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said it's too early to formulate a political response.

"Without identifying the nationality of the ship, it can't be decided if this is a diplomatic issue or simply a criminal matter," the spokeswoman said.

Story filed: 19:07 Tuesday 25th December 2001

[ex-Texan]

The North Koreans will stumble and bumble their way into a lot of trouble pretty soon.

[OK]

Speaking of ships, the USS Pueblo is still sitting at a dock in North Korea. It remains a commissioned US Navy ship to this day.

[alloysteel]

Raising the ship and identifying it would certainly clear up the question of whether it was used to help Osama bin Laden in his attempt to get to the Phillipines....

[rockfish59]

nuke north korea now!

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

"...the USS Pueblo is still sitting at a dock in North Korea. It remains a commissioned US Navy ship..."

I'm surprised that North Korea hasn't tried the 'Chinese Trick' and asked for another apology for that ship getting in their way...as well ?? ?? !!

[bonesmccoy]

Merry Christmas... now give us back our ship! (Return the Pueblo!)

[ozzymandus]

I'm suprised slick willie hasn't apologized to the N Koreans for letting out ship be captured.

[hsszionist]

Japanese war trophies are hard to come by.

[choicenotecho]

Seeing your comment reminded me of its commander, Lloyd Bucher. Many years ago, I attended a December 7 "Tell it to Hanoi" rally in Boston...many, many years ago, now that I think of it. Cmmdr. Bucher had flown in from the West Coast and had consumer a number of "adult beverages" on the way. He could barely get two coherent words out of his mouth.

[curmudgeonII]

Japanese war trophies are hard to come by.

Anyone who fought, or who was around, during the Second World War can tell you that the Japs were an extremely tough opponent.

[hsszionist]

Yes, but little chance to demonstrate that for 56 years. Japan may again have to demonstrate that again, but instead of agression as in WWII, in self defense against mainland Asia.

[VOA]

Anyone who fought, or who was around, during the Second World War can tell you that
the Japs were an extremely tough opponent.

I don't know if it played on major network news, but there was some pretty
cool footage of the Japanese firing their weapons at that ship...probably something
like .50 cal or 20 mm rounds with tracers.

[Sigarmed]

I saw the video and that wasn't any puny .50 or 20mm. Its was bigger. At least 25mm if not more.

[VOA]

I saw the video and that wasn't any puny .50 or 20mm. Its was bigger. At least 25mm if not more.

Thanks...I was just making a civilian's guess.
But seeing how we've looked at just about every gun camera footage from WWII,
it was kinda' cool to see someone firing off a nice string of tracers!

[Tennessee_Bob]

The North Koreans have been very very quiet about this whole thing, which makes me lean towards it being a North Korean spy ship. Typically, their news website is railing against the Japanese for any and everything...but not a word about this situation. I think the NK's are staying real quiet in the hopes that it just disappears.

[Donald Stone]

Pure speculation on my part, but if the Japanese do raise that vessel, I would be interested to know (if it was a spy ship)if any of the spy technology used may have come from our surveillance plane that was rammed by the Chinese fighter and forced to land on Chinese soil.

I'll bet raising that ship is going to be a high priority not only for Japan, but the U.S.

[OK]

Cdr. Bucher had a lot of reason to drink. Oliver North had him on "War Stories" the other night. He was pretty much sent out without cover and hung out to dry with the Pueblo. They didn't even have a fully functional 50 cal. machine gun on board to fight with, then had to suffer months of brutal torture and beatings. Typical Democrat operation under LBJ. Reminiscent of what Clinton did to the Rangers in Somalia.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"The USS Pueblo is still sitting at a dock in North Korea. It remains a commissioned US Navy ship to this day."

That's because not one President since Johnson has even raised a finger to settle the score.
Just as not one President has made Viet Nam give us a full account of our MIA/POW's.
Yet in Oct 2001, we granted Viet Nam full trade status.
And just as no President has made Israel accountable for this:
34 sailors gave their lives and 172 wounded on June 8, 1967, defending the USS Liberty
against a sustained air and sea attack by the armed forces of the State of Israel

Could have been me on either ship, I was in the Navy '66-'69

Petition for Congressional Investigation of USS Liberty Attack

[OK]

That's because not one President since Johnson has even raised a finger to settle the score.

Heck, we are sending aid to N. Korea. We should send a cruise missile in to sink the Pueblo. It is our ship.

I was USN from 67 to 71 also.

[Ronin]

The news stories I read this morning have offered the opinion that the ship was probably being used by North Korea to deliver drugs to the Yakuza.

North Korea used to get a LOT of money from expatriate donations by ethnic Korean pachinko parlor owners and businessmen, but that has dried up on them in recent years.

In fact, one of the largest (if not largest) pro-Pongyang credit unions in Japan has failed after what Japanese police refer to as systematic looting by management.

I, myself, am just a little amazed that the Japanese Coast Guard had the balls to shoot back after the ship tried fired a number of RPG-7s at them.

Tenacity and fighting spirit are not exactly hallmarks of today's Japanese self defense forces.