Japanese submarine humiliation… After the crash of the merchant ship, I searched for the’phone burst’.

Reports have been delayed for more than three hours after a submarine operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force collides with a large merchant ship, causing controversy in Japan. At the time of the accident, the submarine made its first report only after it was moved to a place where communication equipment was damaged and mobile phones were available.

According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency on the 9th (local time), the submarine “Soryu” belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force rose above the waters off Cape Ashizuri on the 8th at 10:58 am on the 8th and passed by Hong Kong. Crashed with the merchant ship’Ocean Artemis’. As a result, three submarine crew members were injured, and the submarine’s antenna poles and communication equipment were damaged. There was no damage to Hong Kong merchant ships.

However, the problem increased as submarines equipped with advanced facilities such as radar and sonar (underwater detection devices) were unable to avoid large ships and that there were no separate communication measures.

Submarines generally check the surrounding environment through a sonar and then rise to the surface, but Soryu confirmed the position of the merchant ship through a periscope during the ascent of the submarine. He made an evasive maneuver, but could not avoid a 50,000-ton merchant ship. Afterwards, the first report was made to the Marine Self-Defense Force Command at 2:20 pm, as it was moving to an area where mobile phones were available due to damage to communication equipment.

In response, Kato Katsunobu, the chief of staff at a regular press conference on the 9th, said, “I am very sorry for causing concern to the people. I will have a strong sense of the problem and review the improvement tasks.” Mr. Hiroshi Yamamura, head of the Navy’s chief of staff (Naval Chief of Staff), said, “We have not assumed a situation where all communication equipment will become unavailable.” “It is not acceptable to say that we did not expect. It’s something to reflect on,” he bowed his head. The Maritime Self-Defense Forces plans to consider the introduction of satellite phones, etc., taking the opportunity of this accident.

Japanese netizens responded, saying, “It’s fortunate that there wasn’t a sinking or human accident,” and “does it make sense that submarines can’t even detect huge merchant ships?”

The Japanese government initiated investigations by the Maritime Security Administration, the Ministry of Defense Accident Investigation Committee, and the Transportation Safety Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to identify the exact cause of the accident. Soryu, commissioned in 2009, is a 84m long, 2950-ton submarine with displacement. The first diesel-electric submarine in Japan, with a capacity of 65 people.

Reporter Kim Hong-bum [email protected]