Text: Historical Curiosity
Edited by the Historical Institute
"Stop, stop, Chinese ship, Changyu, this is a patrol ship of the Coast Guard, stop the ship immediately!" This series of shouts came from the Japanese side, and their attitude was quite eager.
However, the ship that sailed into Japanese waters without authorization turned a deaf ear to the solemn warnings issued by the Japanese patrol vessel. The hull of this boat is painted with light blue paint, and the words "Changyu 3705" are clearly visible on the boat, which does look like an ordinary fishing boat.
After an intense pursuit, the Japanese finally decided to open fire and sink the ship. This incident attracted a lot of attention at the time. Is the sunken vessel a mainland fishing boat, and what is the truth?
«——【Unidentified Ship·】——»
In 2001, the Japan Coast Guard launched a tense chase over a suspicious vessel in the waters off Amami Oshima. After a fierce exchange between the two sides, the Japanese side decided to strike at the ship, which eventually caused it to sink to the bottom of the sea.
The mysterious ship sank in waters close to the mainland's exclusive economic zone. According to the Japanese side, the ship was actually a North Korean spy vessel, but in order to mislead trackers, it disguised itself as a mainland fishing boat.
In order to salvage the sunken ship, Japan paid a huge amount of compensation to the mainland. This incident has sparked controversy among many parties for a while, and there are various theories, but the truth is still confusing.
If there is something unusual about this incident, how did the Japanese side distinguish an inconspicuous "fishing boat" mixed in a pile of fishing boats, and why was the Japanese side so sure that the boat came from North Korea?
It is true that the relationship between Japan and North Korea has been somewhat tense and delicate, and the two countries have had deep historical and emotional entanglements since Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula during World War II.
North Korea's military strategy has always been relatively maverick, and North Korea regards its military power as the key to maintaining the stability of state power and national security.
In addition to vigorously developing nuclear and missile capabilities to enhance military deterrence, North Korea's special forces and intelligence activities are also part of its foreign policy, and the North is trying to obtain various strategic information to expand its international influence.
Moreover, the North Korean government often uses provocative actions to attract international attention and ultimately achieve national interests through diplomatic means. From this point of view, the North Korean side has indeed found a way to survive.
Judging from the various behaviors of the North Korean side, it is not impossible for them to send spy ships to Japan to investigate.
In fact, since the 60s of the 20th century, there have been some suspicious ships carrying out secret activities in Japan's territorial waters, and the Japanese side has always accused these ships of being sent by the DPRK, saying that they are suspected of carrying out illegal missions, including intelligence gathering and landing operations.
The DPRK side resolutely denied these accusations, saying that the Japanese side was deliberately fabricating lies and that all these were Japan's anti-DPRK policies.
The Japanese side also has a headache for these unidentified ships and has been fighting with these spy ships. Before sinking the "Changyu" in 2001, the Japanese side had never succeeded in catching these "slippery" boats, and each time they let the family swagger and escape.
The Japanese side was very angry about this, but there was nothing they could do. This pursuit in 2001 was the closest the Japanese side came to success.
The reason why the Japanese side was able to find out that there was something wrong with this ship was because it had received intelligence from the United States in advance. After receiving the information in advance, the Japanese side has been paying close attention to the situation in its territorial waters.
«——【Japanese pursuit·】——»
Under the monitoring of the Japanese side, the fishing boat Changyu 3705 quietly entered their sight. At first glance, it was just an ordinary old fishing boat, but after careful observation, the Japanese personnel still found some unusual signs.
The Japanese patrol plane circled in the air and took a series of photographs. Photographs show that there are no nets on the deck of the fishing vessel and no fishing personnel are visible. What is even more striking is that there is an unusually eye-catching antenna installed on the roof of the ship.
The Japanese side immediately dispatched a vessel to the scene, only to find that the suspicious fishing boat was sailing quickly in the direction of the mainland's territorial waters. Fearing that the other party would slip away again, the Japanese shouted loudly in Chinese, demanding that the ship be stopped and inspected.
However, to the surprise of the Japanese side, the fishing boat turned a deaf ear to the Japanese side's shouts, and its speed was even faster. Japanese patrol vessels fired multiple warning shots at the fishing vessel on suspicion of violating Japan's fisheries law, but it did not appear to have any effect.
Enraged, the Japanese decided to take more drastic measures, firing at the tail of the suspicious vessel with machine guns, trying to disrupt its propellers and operating rudder in order to prevent it from escaping.
The Japanese patrol ships fired several rounds in a row, and all the projectiles hit the target hull without exception. This caused a fire on the ship's forward deck, and the ship had to stop moving forward due to the urgency of the situation.
However, the ship's crew reacted very quickly, they quickly brought the fire under control, and then the ship started again, even faster than before, while the crew waved the Continental flag on the deck.
Seeing the flag of the mainland, the Japanese side hesitated and did not continue to fire. They continued to track the vessel while contacting their superiors to confirm the situation.
After a period of pursuit, the Japanese side found it difficult to catch up with this seemingly old ship. At this time, the Japanese side received information that the mainland had not recorded such a fishing vessel operating in the relevant waters.
As a result, the Japanese side immediately adjusted its strategy and tried to encircle and blockade the ship from multiple directions, and finally the Japanese side successfully intercepted the ship.
Just as the Japanese side was about to board the ship for inspection, two crew members on board suddenly rushed out of the cabin with weapons and fired fiercely at the patrol boats around them.
Seeing this, the Japanese side immediately launched a counterattack, and some Japanese ships were damaged and two Japanese personnel were injured in the exchange of fire. After a fierce exchange of fire, the suspicious vessel eventually sank to the bottom of the sea, and the 15 crew members on board disappeared into the vast expanse of the sea.
«——[Dispute Resumes·]——»
As soon as the incident spread, there was an uproar on all sides. The Japanese side first issued a statement pointing out that it was a spy ship sent by North Korea.
According to the Japanese side, they recovered the bodies of two crew members from the sea, and the bodies of the bodies had Korean characters written on their life jackets, and the evidence seems to be very obvious.
The Japanese side also claimed that the reason for the sinking of the suspicious vessel was not necessarily caused by Japanese shooting, but also that the crew of the North Korean spy ship detonated the ship on its own to prevent the Japanese side from searching for relevant evidence.
The DPRK side expressed strong dissatisfaction with this statement and bitterly denounced the Japanese side for fabricating facts and trying to smear the DPRK, holding that this is a serious provocation and an anti-DPRK plot by the Japanese side.
In addition, the DPRK side also accused the Japanese patrol ship of shooting and sinking a ship of unknown origin in the waters of another country, which is a cruel act of piracy and an unforgivable crime.
It is not only the DPRK that criticizes Japan, but many other countries and even Japan's own citizens have similar views.
Japan's actions in the war caused countless people to suffer from militarism, and this historical legacy has made many people extremely sensitive to this.
The sinking of the unidentified ship by the Japanese side was the first time since the end of World War II that the Japanese side had taken such action against a foreign ship, and this caused widespread unease among the people at home and abroad.
A senior official of the Japan Coast Guard also admitted that Japan had previously amended the law to authorize ships of the Japan Coast Protection Agency and the Maritime Self-Defense Force to fire directly at suspicious ships suspected of serious crimes.
However, the incident occurred outside Japan's territorial waters, so the newly revised law does not apply. This shows that the actions of the Japan Coast Protection Agency in this incident are completely illegal.
According to Japanese law at the time, ships were allowed to sail freely if they did not engage in any act detrimental to Japan's interests within Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Despite this, the Japanese authorities invoked their domestic fisheries law to impose inspection rights on the suspected violator. However, it is worth noting that the Japan Coast Guard has long known that the vessel does not have fishing equipment, and this accusation seems somewhat reluctant.
Furthermore, the Japanese side continued to track the vessel for eight hours, and it was clearly unreasonable to characterize the vessel as suspicious and take action solely on the basis of the Coast Guard's statement that "the deck of the vessel was empty, and there were no fishing tools or personnel in sight, and it was similar to a previous suspicious vessel."
Furthermore, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the exercise of the right of hot pursuit should cease immediately as soon as the pursued vessel enters the territorial waters of the State or of a third State.
But in fact, it was the Japan Coast Guard that took unauthorized action against the tracked vessels in the mainland's exclusive economic zone.
Whether this move abides by the norms of international law, whether it reflects respect for China's sovereignty and dignity in maritime areas, and whether it complies with the relevant laws and regulations of the mainland need to be thoroughly discussed.
Japan's law is law, but isn't China's law a law? The Japanese side also claimed that the current attack on suspicious ships was based on the principle of lawful self-defense.
But throughout the incident, multiple Japanese patrol ships fired multiple warning shots and actual shots at the ship, which eventually led to a fire on the deck of the vessel.
With regard to the return fire of the unidentified ship, it is reported that it began only a few minutes before the sinking, and in this regard, we should clearly distinguish the order of the fire.
In this operation, the Japanese side used dozens of patrol ships, aircraft, and even Aegis-class frigates, which is a remarkable scale.
This deployment sends a clear signal that the Japanese side has been determined from the outset to stop the ship and is prepared to use force to achieve this goal.
This is the first time in decades that the Japan Coast Guard has conducted direct fire on a foreign vessel, a rare decision that has been firmly carried out from the outset, and the motives behind it are worth delving.
Finally, from a humanitarian point of view, the Japanese side's approach was quite a sense of extermination, when the ship sank and more than a dozen crew members on board fell into the sea, but the Japanese side did not seem to rescue them.
The Japanese side only explained that it was worried that these crew members had lethal weapons in their hands, so the Japanese did not dare to approach for fear of being attacked by the other side.
«——【Japan's Thoughts·】——»
North Korea has firmly rejected Japan's claims, while Japan has insisted on salvaging the wreck, seemingly intent on finding conclusive evidence.
Since the location of the wreck involves the territorial waters of the mainland, Japan must obtain official permission from the mainland if it wants to carry out salvage work in the area.
Although the mainland agreed to the salvage operation after receiving compensation from Japan, the actual salvage work on the Japanese side was delayed by nearly a year.
As time passed, it became more and more uncertain whether the so-called evidence could be found. But Japan does have a knack for shaping public opinion.
They continue to suggest that the wreck is likely to be a special-purpose vessel from North Korea, and although it has not been directly confirmed, its description is detailed and credible.
According to Japan's description, North Korea has repeatedly carried out such clandestine activities, which have posed a major threat to Japan's national security, which has undoubtedly deepened the negative perception of North Korea among the Japanese public.
Under such a premise, Japan is still playing the role of a victim in the international arena, not only gaining the expected social effect at home, but also pretending to be pitiful in the international arena and taking advantage of the opportunity to expand its military power.
While it is impossible to say for sure whether or not all of this was the result of Japanese orchestration, it is clear that Japan always seems to have been able to use certain events as an opportunity to perfectly build up its military power.
For example, when North Korea launched its first artificial satellite, Japan insisted that the launch was actually a missile. The Japanese side further claimed that some fragments of the missile had fallen into the waters off Japan, posing a potential threat to national security.
Therefore, Japan decided to cooperate with the United States in the joint development of a missile defense system and to add a radar monitoring facility specifically for the DPRK.
Later, Japan pointed out that its patrol fleet was not fast enough to keep up with North Korean spy ships, and to compensate for this disadvantage, Japan quickly built a series of new high-speed patrol boats and equipped them with offensive weapons.
In this 2001 chase, the patrol boats, with their new equipment, showed their worth and gave the Japanese side a landslide victory, sinking the target accused of being a North Korean spy ship and portraying a victim in the process.
After the incident, Japan also announced that it would install the latest generation of fully automated target tracking systems on all its patrol boats, ensuring accurate hits against the enemy even at night.
Not only that, but they also plan to build more large maritime patrol ships with excellent weapons, saying that they are in response to the possibility of more serious conflicts.
The fact that Japan seems to be able to gradually build up its power under a variety of different pretexts is a cause for concern.
Fortunately, more than 20 years have passed, and the strength of the mainland has also been significantly enhanced, and this all-round development has enabled the mainland to have a stronger ability to deal with various emergencies and participate in global affairs with more confidence.
In the face of absolute strength, those "dark arrows" are nothing more than small tricks.