Bush envoy to tender apology to Japanese

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, FEB. 25. The Bush administration is sending a top official of the Navy to Tokyo with a letter from the President, Mr. George W. Bush, to the Japanese Prime Minister. Admiral William Fallon will tender an apology and explain the ongoing investigations into the sinking of the Japanese research vessel Ehime Maru, resulting in the loss of nine lives, including four students.

The naming of Admiral Fallon as the ``special envoy'' is seen as yet another attempt on the part of the Bush administration to assuage the hurt feelings of the Japanese who have expressed shock that civilians were present at least at two control stations in the submarine USS Greeneville when it rammed the Ehime Maru off the coast of Honolulu.

In addition to explaining the status of the investigations, Admiral Fallon is also expected to discuss the salvaging of the Japanese vessel.

Meanwhile, media reports have it that the U.S. Navy may be expanding the scope of the inquiry by adding more to the list of three officers who had been named subjects of the probe. The latest information is that a fire control technician had failed to report to the Captain that sonar readings indicated that another vessel was within 2000 yards.

The technician has apparently told investigators of the National Transportation Safety Board that he stopped plotting sonar contacts before the accident because he was distracted by civilians in the control room. There were 16 civilians on board when the USS Greeneville rammed the Ehime Maru; and one question that is being looked into is whether the presence of the civilians led to the collision.

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Section  : International
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