Japan anger grows over sub tragedy

The tragedy comes amid protests over US troops in Okinawa

The row over the sinking of the Japanese trawler by a US submarine worsened on Thursday, as Japan lashed out at the United States over reports that civilians on the submarine distracted the crew.

This is extremely deplorable

Yoshiro Mori

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori described the news as "deplorable" and called for an intensive probe while his top spokesman said the cabinet took the latest revelation "extremely seriously".

This would mean a serious error had taken place. We regard it as... very significant

Yasuo Fukuda

Chief cabinet secretary Yasuo Fukuda warned "appropriate measures", hinting at compensation demands, would be taken if it was proved that civilians had contributed to the 9 February accident off the Hawaiian coast.

He said Tokyo would push for "strict disciplinary steps on the US side".

Relatives met with US ambassador in Tokyo

On Wednesday, investigators revealed that the submarine had detected the trawler 71 minutes before the accident.

But the crew member responsible for tracking nearby ships by sonar was not able to perform his crucial job because civilian guests were in the way in the control room, investigators said.

Nine Japanese were left missing, presumed dead, after the submarine tore through the Ehime Maru's hull while rapidly surfacing.

Court of inquiry

Yasuo Fukuda said Japan would wait until the US Navy completed its court of inquiry - the navy's highest administrative investigative body - which begins on Monday.

Among those to appear before the court will be the submarine's Commander Scott Waddle, who has remained tight-lipped over the incident on his lawyer's advice.

The sub, USS Greeneville, docked at Pearl Harbour

The Texan's relatives revealed that he was deeply upset by the incident but his attorney had advised him against "telling the world how sorry he is".

Mr Mori has also come under fire for his handling of the incident, and on Thursday, revelations of a fresh bribery scandal involving a party heavyweight added to the intense pressure on him to resign.

Meanwhile, relatives have continued to press for the stricken Ehime Maru to be raised from its seabed grave, 600m (2,000 feet) below the surface, to confirm whether it is a tomb for their loved ones.

Kyodo News reported that they plan to submit a letter to their government on the issue.

US-Japan relations

A US embassy spokesman said Washington was considering a request from Japan that a special envoy be sent to explain the accident.

The accident should not be allowed to damage Japan-US relations

Yomiuri Shimbun

The tragedy comes at a tense time for US-Japan relations, already under strain over incidents involving US troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The latest incident involved an e-mail by a top military official describing locals as "nuts and wimps".

Some experts say that while mishandling the potential crisis over the tragedy could feed anti-American sentiment, the alliance is not unravelling.

In an editorial on Thursday, the leading newpaper Yomiuri Shimbun described the alliance as "vitally important".

It said that the US was showing "good faith" and was appeared to be taking "every possible step it can" to deal with the issue.

It also noted that in the history of the US Navy, it was very rare for a court of inquiry to be convened.

However, the newspaper warned that regulations for US troops in Japan needed to be studied for relations to improve.