Japan protests to U.S. over helmsmen of crashed sub

Japan protests to U.S. over helmsmen of crashed sub

TOKYO (AFP): Japan made a formal protest on Thursday to the United States following Washington's admission that civilian guests were at the controls of the U.S. submarine which rammed and sank a Japanese fishing vessel.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono had a 20-minute telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"I cannot help but say that it is an extremely serious matter if civilian participation in the surfacing maneuver led somehow to the accident," Kono told Powell.

"In any event, it is regrettable that the Japanese side was not informed swiftly that civilians were at the helm when the accident happened," the Japanese foreign minister said.

Kono called on Powell to clarify any link between the accident and the civilian involvement as quickly as possible. "I hope you will follow up the case sincerely so that measures will be taken with full consideration of the Japanese people's feelings," Kono added.

Nine Japanese are still missing after the USS Greeneville came up under the much smaller Ehime Maru Friday last week, ripping open its hull and sinking the 53-meter trawler within minutes, some 16 kilometers south of Hawaii's famed Waikiki Beach.

Washington has admitted civilians were given the controls of the USS Greeneville's bow planes and rudder during a maneuver called an emergency main ballast tank blow, which sends the submarine shooting to the surface.

In the telephone conversation, Powell apologized for the accident, but said the civilian involvement did not cause the tragedy.

"Secretary of State Powell said he would like to repeat an apology and regrets (expressed by President George W. Bush), and has taken the case seriously," the statement said.

"The secretary of state said he understands how Japanese people received the news that civilians were involved," it said.

But Powell said "he understands that the embarkation of civilians was not the cause of the accident, although he cannot clearly state the cause of the accident until the official investigation is completed," the statement said.

Powell said the Pentagon would carry out a "thorough investigation" and inform Tokyo of the results of its probe without delay.

In the face of strong protests from Japan, the United States retracted its earlier decision to call off rescue operations by the end of Thursday.

Washington had told Japan it would finish searching for the missing victims six days after the accident, to concentrate on salvaging the sunken vessel.

But "the U.S. government informed us that it will continue the current rescue activity for the time being, considering a request from the Japanese side," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The US Navy is responsible. We cannot accept any plan to call off rescue operation," said Moriyuki Kato, governor of Ehime, where the fishery school operating the ill-fated vessel is located.

"I believe the US Navy should (continue to) act, out of consideration for the victims' families," Kato said.