For the first time in the country's postwar history, there has been an armed clash between Japan Coast Guard patrol boats and an unidentified vessel. The truth of the incident, which took place in the nation's exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea over the weekend, is still largely shrouded in mystery. Information available as of Tuesday, however, indicated that the vessel was likely from North Korea.
The incident started when a suspicious vessel was first spotted by a Self-Defense Force aircraft in waters off Amami-Oshima Island around 1 a.m. Saturday; it ended at about 10 p.m. Saturday when the vessel capsized. Fifteen crewmen were thrown overboard in the dark seas and disappeared before they could be rescued. During the period of engagement, coast guard patrol boats sent to intercept the vessel ordered it to halt, issued warning shots and opened fire with 20-mm machine guns, shooting nearly 500 rounds into the sky and at the vessel. But the vessel continued to attempt to escape, returning fire with automatic weapons and hand-held rocket launchers. The incident left two Japan Coast Guard officials wounded.
All this suggests that the incident was more serious and intense than initially reported. The fact that coast guard officials were wounded and the patrol boats were pockmarked by many bullets seem to sufficiently support the government's claim that the coast guard's actions were taken in self-defense.