James Auer
(The Japanese text appeared in the Sankei Shimbun's Feb. 20 of 2001 issue)
Before the USS Greeneville accidentally sunk the Ehime Maru off Pearl Harbor, the Japan -U.S. alliance was regarded as the foundation of peace and security in Pacific Asia by both Japan and the United States. Despite this tragic accident the fundamental importance of that alliance has not been changed.
Although the tragic accident is still under investigation, it is hard to imagine that the submarine diligently carried out required safety measures that such a drill should only be conducted after careful checking for surface vessels in the vicinity by sonar as well as visually by periscope.
The incident has sparked a media frenzy, not only in Japan but in the United States as well. Why didn't the submarine immediately rescue survivors? Why didn't Prime Minister Mori immediately leave the golf course? Why didn't the US Navy immediately disclose that civilian guests were onboard the submarine and may have actually been occupying some of the control positions?
What is much less or not mentioned at all is that if the USS Greeneville had tried to rescue survivors itself rather than waiting for the Coast Guard, if Prime Minister Mori had rushed to his office and if the US Navy immediately announced that there were 16 civilians onboard the submarine and two of them were sitting at the controls, the results this time would have been the same: the tragic loss of nine Japanese who did not deserve their fate.
Although negligence by the submarine in not conducting a proper search should not be minimized, accidents occur daily in Japan and in the United States involving ordinary citizens and/or military personnel, sometimes separately and sometimes together. Accident rates are probably higher in Japan and in the U.S. than in other countries because the world's two richest countries have lots of high technology equipment which often produces superior results but also in a few instances produces tragic accidents.
Given that military forces are tightly disciplined and are subject to tight control from their governments, lessons learned from accidents can sometimes be quickly turned into safety directives helping to prevent repeat occurrences.
Among the Japanese and American publics, educating the populace about safety, even routine measures such as wearing seat belts and not talking on cellular phones while driving, can be attempted, but obtaining large scale compliance can take more time than in the case of the armed forces. But, no matter how hard civil and/or military safety authorities in both countries try, accidents can never be reduced to zero. On the average, the US military loses 300 personnel to accidents every year, and the figure on US highways is far higher. In Japan the numbers for the Self-Defense Forces and on Japanese highways are far smaller because of the size of the forces and the numbers of automobiles are far less; but accidents occur and unfortunately will in the future.
So while Japanese grieve and Americans sincerely apologize for the accidental sinking of the Ehime Maru and resolve to do everything possible to prevent accidents in the future, the citizens of both nations need to remember that the goals of the Japan - U.S. security treaty remain critically important. A tragic accident does not change the fact that the maintenance of peace and stability throughout the Asian Pacific area is not automatic. Despite the end of the Cold War, East Asia remains an unbalanced and volatile area, surrounded as it is by instability if not hostility in North Korea, China and Far East Russia. Nine Japanese are needlessly lost, but 400 million Japanese and Americans still rely on the Japan - U.S. alliance for their livelihood and prosperity. By seeking to do the right thing in the future, they together can mourn this loss while resolving to prevent its recurrence and to render the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii as well as near Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific, peaceful and stable long into the future.
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