Asia Times: Apologies do little to ease grief over sea mishap


	March 7, 2001	atimes.com

Japan

Apologies do little to ease grief over sea tragedy
By Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO - Fresh reports that the US naval submarine that rammed a Japanese training ship last month was at sea only because it was taking 16 civilians on a tour are likely to lead to more anti-American outbursts from an already upset Japanese public.

Indeed, tensions are still high between Japan and the United States weeks after the February 10 incident, which led to the sinking of the Ehime Maru training ship. Nine of the 35 Japanese aboard it, which included high school students and teachers, are still missing and are presumed to be dead. Both Japanese and US officials have since been scrambling to patch up bilateral relations, but indications are that the Japanese people themselves will not be easily appeased.

"The Japanese are very angry about the incident," says Aoyama University professor Tomihasa Sakanaka, who is an international relations expert. "The outpouring of sympathy in the public reflects an ugly mood that stems from the fact that innocent people have been killed. But what I am worried about is that some people could use the United States for releasing their frustration with the domestic situation," he says, since the current tension is coming at a time when Japan is facing both economic and political upheaval.

Other analysts agree with activists that the apparent Japanese hurt has deeper roots. In many ways, the animosity after the sea mishap reflects what some call a lack of understanding between US and Japan despite the fact their bilateral ties are often described as the fulcrum of security in East Asia. According to observers, cultural differences, including the way the military is viewed, have much to do with how many Japanese are reacting to what is only the latest in a string of "US wrongs" against Japan.

Peace activist Hiromichi Umebayashi, for instance, says the strong reaction from the Japanese side regarding the sinking of the Ehime Maru can be traced to pent-up emotions against the US military presence in Japan. "The Japanese, who have experienced the horrors of World War II as a result of their country's participation, reject a military so as never to repeat the past," he argues. "But they have had to bear the presence of US military bases at home because of government policy. They are fed up now. The US-Japan Security Pact is facing a renewed crisis," Umebayashi even predicts, referring to the agreement that stipulates continued US military presence in Japan as part of maintaining regional security.

Observers say it does not matter that the February 10 incident took place in Hawaii. What has stuck in the minds of the Japanese public is that the tragedy involved the US military and that Japanese civilians were again the victims. To many, it only fits a pattern of US military arrogance toward the Japanese, especially those in the southernmost island of Okinawa.

Okinawa hosts roughly 26,000 of the 48,000 US military personnel stationed in Japan, and about 25 percent of all US military facilities in the country. Its residents have never welcomed their presence, and relations between Okinawans and members of the US forces have not been very friendly.

Just last month, a high-ranking US military official stationed in Okinawa had to apologize after an e-mail message in which he called local leaders "wimps" was leaked to the public. In 1998, residents also filed suits against both the Japanese government and the United States for the alleged "noise pollution" created by one of the bases. But the worst US forces-related episode so far in Okinawa has been the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old local schoolgirl by three US Marines.

Meanwhile, it has not escaped notice here that Commodore Scott Waddle, the captain of the submarine USS Greenville that caused Ehime Maru to sink, is seeking to have his testimony before the court of inquiry convened Monday in Hawaii not to be used against him in a future court martial.

Commented the Yomiuri Shimbun, the country's largest daily, on Monday: "In Japan, the person responsible for such an accident would be bound to personally apologize for their actions and accept full responsibility." The newspaper, which also noted that Waddle's lawyer is well known for getting his clients not-guilty verdicts, then went on to warn of more bitterness from the Japanese public as the formal inquiry progresses.

So far, the apologies for the incident have been extended by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who telephoned Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono a few days after Ehime Maru sank and US Ambassador Thomas Foley, who personally visited the families of those who had been aboard the Japanese ship. Even US President George W Bush has apologized for the accident. The US Navy has also expressed regret for the loss of civilian lives.

But it has maintained that until a full inquiry is completed, it stands by the veracity of initial reports that the crew of the USS Greenville had checked the surface carefully before rising, and had not seen the Japanese ship.

The Japanese media, however, have not stopped in calling for a "sincere" apology from both Washington and Waddle. Umebayashi, for his part, acknowledges that the United States has taken the unusual step of apologizing profusely to Japan this time. But he stresses that this does not necessarily reflect "sincere regret".

"The US knows Japan is paying for its troops stationed in Japan, which is why an apology is required," he says. "This situation does not apply to other countries that have experienced US military presence. [That is] a clear case of double standards."

(Inter Press Service)

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©2001 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.