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Hosoda Says Chinese Submarine Entered Japanese Waters
Japan has identified the submarine spotted in Japanese waters on Nov. 10 as belonging to China's navy, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said. The government concluded that the submarine was Chinese for various reasons, including the direction it headed after leaving Japanese waters, Hosoda told reporters today at a regular press conference in Tokyo. Japan will today summon officials from the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo to issue a protest, he added. Japan put its naval vessels on alert after it detected the submarine near the southern island chain of Okinawa. That alert was lifted at 3:50 p.m. Japan time today, Hosoda said. The islands are near an area in the East China Sea claimed by both China and Japan that lies close to untapped undersea oil reserves. Hosoda said the crew of vessel, which appears to be nuclear powered, probably knew the sub was in foreign waters. Japan hasn't heard from the Chinese government regarding the submarine, he added. Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-11-12 |
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