Worrying Disappointment

Under the blue sky on a sunny day, a transport vessel of Maritime Self-defense Force, Osumi, collided with small fishing boat in the Seto Inland Sea, located in the southwest part of Japan. Four passengers of the boat were thrown in the seawater and two of them were dead in a hospital hours after they were rescued. It is still not clear which was wrong in the accident. One strange phenomenon the government has shown is deliberately careful attitude in dealing with this case.

According to the reports, the collision was made at the left side of Osumi’s body. Two ships seemed to be cruising to the same direction. In the rule on the water, two ships facing each other have to evade collision by turning rightward. It is unclear so far, which was responsible for avoiding the accident.

This is not the first time for a MSDF ship to sink a private boat with collision. A submarine collided with a pleasure boat, causing thirty deaths, in 1988. In 2008, an aegis vessel broke a fishing boat, killing two fishermen. In the case of 1988, both captains were found guilty in professional negligence resulting in death, while two men on aegis vessel were found non-guilty after being prosecuted.

Immediately after the accident, Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera, held a press conference. He expressed a deep regret as a leader of the ministry and self-defense force, and emphasized that the ministry would fully cooperate with investigation by Japan Coast Guard. The action was based on the lesson the ministry learned from former cases, in which they were criticized as being late in investigation and reluctant in providing with information in timely manner.

One important point in the investigation should be whether Osumi recognized the approach of the boat. One passenger of the boat realized that Osumi blew four or five whistles right before the collision. However, it is unclear whether the vessel fully recognized the boat, because of the structure of the ship with its bridge on the right side of the deck. The Ministry of Defense is going to integrate the investigation under coast guard to avoid misunderstandings of the nation caused by dualism in information release.

The biggest concern for the ministry is losing credibility it earned in the rescuing in the great earthquake and nuclear accident in Fukushima. “Self-defense Force is not only the resource of the state, but of the people” is a phrase frequently used by the officials. Worrying the accident of Osumi may cause disappointment on daily effort of the force, the government can only appeal sincere attitude toward people.