Action of 22 December 2001

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Action of 22 December 2001


caption=Sunken North Korean ship being raised by Japanese forces
partof=
date=22 December, 2001
place= off Amami-Ōshima, in the East China Sea
result=Japanese victory
combatant1=flag|North Korea
combatant2=flag|Japan
commander1=
commander2=
strength1= 1 armed trawler
strength2=several Japan Coast Guard vessels
casualties1=1 armed trawler sunk
approx. 15 killed
casualties2=3 wounded|

The Action of 22 December 2001 was a confrontation between the Japan Coast Guard and an armed North Korean vessel, taking place near the island of Amami-Ōshima, in the East China Sea. The encounter ended in the sinking of the North Korean vessel, which the Japanese authorities later announced was determined to have been a spy craft.

Background

The as-yet unidentified ship was first seen in Japanese waters on Friday 21 December 2001 [Technically speaking, the entire encounter took place outside of Japanese territorial waters, as defined under the smallest, strictest definition, but within the exclusive economic zone, an area extending 200 miles from Japanese land, within which Japan can claim exclusive rights to fishing and mineral resources.] . A North Korean vessel encountered by the Japanese Coast Guard in 1999 was claimed by Japan to have been an spy craft, though North Korea denied it; other incidents have occurred involving illegal fishing and drug trafficking.

The armed trawler was detected by a communications station in Kikaijima, Kagoshima, which was under control of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters [ [http://www.popular-communications.com/March%2007%20PC%20Highlights.html Japan’s Secret SIGINT Organizations: Focusing On North Korea.] Retrieved on June 15, 2008.] .

Battle

Early the following morning, the ship was chased by twenty Japan Coast Guard vessels, who ordered it to halt, and fired warning shots upon the ship when those orders were ignored. A six-hour firefight ensued, in which over 1000 machine gun rounds were fired by both sides; the Korean crew were said to have wielded shoulder-held rocket launchers, representing the first time such a weapon was ever used against a Japanese force. Several explosions not directly related to Japanese attacks rocked the ship before it was sunk, most of its fifteen crew members being missing and presumed dead as of several days later. This could be seen as the first sinking of a foreign ship by Japanese forces since the end of World War II, although some sources argue that the ship was scuttled by its crew.

ources

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/1724913.stm Japan fires on 'intruding' boat] . "BBC Online". 21 December 2001. Accessed 17 December 2007.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/1727867.stm Japan says 'spy ship' fired rockets] . "BBC Online". 25 December 2001. Accessed 17 December 2007.
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2002_Oct_7/ai_94075498 Japan announces sunken boat was N. Korean spy ship] . "Japan Policy & Politics". 7 October 2002. Accessed 17 December 2007.
*Brooke, James. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E5DC1531F936A15751C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Japan Says a Mystery Boat Fired Rockets at Its Ships] . "New York Times". 25 December 2001. Accessed 17 December 2007.

References