MSDF Chief Apologizes for Destroyer Accident
16:20 JST, January 18, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The head of the Maritime Self-Defense Force apologized on Tuesday for an accident in which an MSDF destroyer became unable to navigate in the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan earlier this month.
“We feel deeply responsible for causing anxiety to the people of the country and casting a damper on [the government’s] efforts to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities,” MSDF Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai told a regular news conference.
Sakai said the MSDF has concluded, based mainly on an investigation by the Japan Coast Guard, that the destroyer Inazuma went aground.
“No malfunction was found, so it’s highly likely that [the accident cause] was on the operational side,” he added.
“Radars and other equipment worked properly, and we don’t believe that the weather or the movements of other vessels caused the accident,” he also said.
The MSDF will investigate whether there were human errors in operations including recognizing shallow water and setting the destroyer’s route, Sakai indicated.
To prevent similar accidents, Sakai said he has instructed MSDF units to take basic measures thoroughly and study similar cases in the past.
On Jan. 10, the MSDF destroyer Inazuma became unable to navigate off the island of Suo-Oshima in Yamaguchi Prefecture, as screw parts were lost.
The destroyer will undergo a full-scale examination, as well as repair work, at a shipbuilding firm in the island of Innoshima in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The coast guard is investigating the accident on suspicion of professional negligence endangering traffic, as there are light beacons warning of shallow water around the scene.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
84% of People Nationwide Say They Feel Japan’s National Security Is Under Threat
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
-
Russia to Ban Non-Registered Vessels from Waters Around Northern Territories From April 11 to 17
-
Japan-U.K. Foreign Ministers Confirm Deepening Cooperation in Security Field; Kamikawa Underscores Importance of NATO Ties
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Household Spending Down 0.5% in Feb.
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’