22 December 2001 - Our Far Eastern Representative informed us that a Japanese Coast Guard patrol ship has exchanged fire with what was believed to be a North Korean spy ship. This is the first post-war occasion in which any branch of the Japanese Armed Services fired in anger against any foreign force.

An American spy satellite spotted a vessel in Japanese waters, which US Intelligence identified as the same 100 ton North Korean spy ship that they had seen in 1998. This information was passed on to Japanese authorities. At that time, the ship was inside the 200 mile EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of Japan but was still outside the 12 mile Japanese territorial boundary. First aircraft, then patrol ships and helicopters were sent to intercept the vessel. It tried to run off at high speed, but was soon surrounded. The Japanese ordered the ship to stop, but the order was ignored. Japanese officers tried to board the ship, but its crew opened fire on the Japanese, wounding four of them.

Two anti-tank rockets (shoulder fired RPG-7) were fired against the Japanese ship, but missed. The Japanese returned fire in selfdefense. The unidentified ship exploded and sank. The cause of the explosion is unknown, but it is thought to be self-inflicted. Some bodies with life jackets with Korean inscriptions were recovered. North Korea has still not admitted that they lost a ship, but their propaganda lambasted the Japanese on the alleged 'wanton piracy and murder' on the high seas.

YOYA studied the photos of the ship very closely and told us that it had no appearance of an intelligence-gathering vessel. There were no bristling antennas or sensors. He said that it looked like an ordinary fishing boat. Its purpose of approaching the Japanese shore looked more like the insertion of spies or the rendezvous with some Japanese criminals on the ocean to pass on a load of narcotics. This has been done before.

Japanese authorities have said they will try to raise the ship to ascertain its nationality and its intent. The spot lies within the EEZ of China, and the Chinese are saying that if the Japanese should attempt a salvage, they should be consulted beforehand.

With the North Koreans spying on Japan and South Korea, with China becoming a huge dragon apparently intent on defeating the US Navy, and with India and Pakistan flexing their nuclear muscles at one another, the year 2002 appears to be watching the world move into a precarious situation.

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