Ministry admits MSDF at fault in Atago collision

The Defense Ministry on Friday admitted the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Atago was at fault for the collision with a fishing boat on Feb. 19 off the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture.

In an interim report, the ministry cited the high possibility that the destroyer, equipped with the Aegis advanced air defense system, failed to properly watch for other vessels or take measures to avoid the accident.

The collision sank the Seitoku Maru, leaving a father and son onboard missing.

The Cabinet on Friday decided to replace Adm. Eiji Yoshikawa, MSDF chief of staff, with Vice Adm. Keiji Akahoshi, commandant of the Sasebo district, as of Monday.

The government concluded that Yoshikawa, who took office in August 2006, should take responsibility for a series of accidents and blunders, including a fire on the destroyer Shirane at Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture in December 2007 and the leakage of confidential information, including data on the Aegis system.

The ministry also announced disciplinary measures against 87 other ministry officials and MSDF officers in connection with the Atago collision and these two incidents. However, they do not include the captain and other crew members of the Atago because the collision is still under investigation.

Kohei Masuda, vice defense minister, will have his pay cut by 10 percent for two months.

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he will return two months of salary for the minister's post in a self-imposed disciplinary measure.

During a news conference Friday, Ishiba offered an apology to the public, saying measures will be immediately implemented to prevent a recurrence.

According to the Maritime Staff Office's committee for investigation into accidents involving MSDF vessels, an Atago crewman on watch duty spotted two vessels crossing about 500 meters ahead from the starboard side of the destroyer at 4:06 a.m. on Feb. 19, immediately before the collision with the Seitoku Maru.

Some crew members heard the duty officer on the bridge say, "This fishing boat is so close." They saw a red lamp on what was apparently the Seitoku Maru approaching on the starboard side at a range of 70 to 100 meters.

The deck officer ordered the helmsman to halt both propellers and to shut off the automatic navigation system. He then ordered the helmsman to go at full power in reverse. The officer tried to reach the starboard side of the bridge when the sound of the collision was heard.

It took 5 to 10 seconds for the officer to issue the order to go in reverse after ordering a halt to the propellers, according to the committee's report.

Three radar monitors are installed on the Atago--one on the bridge and two in the combat information center.

However, the committee report said none of the radar crew members on duty confirmed the Seitoku Maru on the radar screen.

The committee also said the emergency measures the Atago took immediately before the collision were possibly insufficient.(IHT/Asahi: March 22,2008)