Sub captain offers apologies

The US envoy bows low to relatives of the dead

The captain of the American submarine which sank a Japanese fishing vessel off Hawaii nearly three weeks ago has sent personal letters of apology to relatives of the nine Japanese civilians killed in the incident.

Scott Waddle, who faces a possible court martial over the deaths, delivered the letters when he visited the Japanese consulate in Honolulu on Tuesday.

He has come in for criticism in Japan, where commentators said his previous expressions of regret fell short of a formal apology.

Scott Waddle: Faces court martial

Despite repeated apologies from the US Government, the families of the nine dead Japanese had insisted that amends could not be made without a direct apology from Commander Waddle.

Earlier, a special US envoy to Japan, Admiral William Fallon, also delivered a personal apology to the relatives.

He said Washington was prepared to compensate the families for the incident, which has strained relations between the US and Japan.

In a meeting with relatives of those who died, he bowed deeply and said he had come to humbly request that they accept American apologies.

His visit is the latest in a series of attempts to convince the Japanese people of American sincerity.

That has led to murmurings in the US that enough has been done.

Admiral Fallon impressed family representatives

Admiral Fallon told a news conference: "Something that came to me as I met with the families today is that it's more than just the statement of apology, but it's really a way in which we reach out to these people to help them come to grips with this tremendous tragedy."

Family representatives said they were impressed by the envoy's message.

They seemed confident that he would do his best to meet their request that the fishing boat be raised from the seabed.

They are desperate for the return of the bodies for burial.

Attention will now move to the naval court of inquiry that convenes in Hawaii next Monday.

It will assess the culpability of senior officers on board the submarine, which rammed the fishing boat as it carried out an emergency surfacing operation.