Japan Protests US Nuclear Sub's Unannounced Port Call

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Voice of America News

Japan has protested to the United States after a U.S. nuclear submarine made an unannounced visit to one of its ports Monday.

A statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry says Tokyo reminded the United States that it must give Japan at least 24 hours notice before submarines arrive at its ports.

Japan has asked U.S. officials to explain why the USS Providence arrived on the southern island of Okinawa today without prior notice. The U.S. embassy in Japan said the incident was due to what it called "miscommunication" in the U.S. Navy.

Nuclear-powered vessels are a touchy topic in Japan, the only country to have been attacked with atomic bombs.

The unannounced visit comes just two days after an accident on a Russian nuclear-powered submarine in the Sea of Japan killed at least 20 people.

Read more: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-11-10-voa17.cfm?rss=politics

[awoke_in_2003]

1. Wow, they have the time to bitch...

in between all the whales they are killing? Screw em.

[DogPoundPup]

2. : ) n/t

[miyazaki]

3. lets start a new round of japan bashing right here!

its so fun isn't it. :\

[MicaelS]

5. Japan bashing?

Only when it is so richly deserved. See post below.

[MicaelS]

4. Explain to me WHY

"Nuclear-powered vessels are a touchy topic in Japan" yet Japan has 55 operational nuclear reactors? And don't blame it on the bomb either. Sounds like more of that "unique-cultural standards" the Japanese love to spout as an excuse for hypocritical isolationist bullshit.

[struggle4progress]

6. Perhaps because nuclear submarines exist primarily as launch platforms for atomic payloads

[MicaelS]

7. No.....

The USS Providence is an SSN, not an SSBN. It does NOT launch ballistic missiles. It carries NO, repeat no nuclear warheads.

[struggle4progress]

8. Hmmpf! Doubt anybody'd say it is carrying but easy to learn that it can:

... Los Angeles Class submarines built since 1982 are equipped with a vertical launch missile system with twelve launch tubes. The submarine is fitted with a Raytheon CCS Mark 2 combat data system. This is to be replaced with a further development, the Raytheon AN/BYG-1 Combat Control System, also to be fitted on USN Virginia and Seawolf classes and Australian Collins Class submarines. The first system will be fitted on SSN68 Los Angeles in late 2005.

The submarine is armed with both the land-attack and anti-ship version of the Tomahawk missile from Raytheon. The land-attack Tomahawk has a range of 2,500km. A TAINS (Tercom Aided Inertial Navigation System) guides the missile towards the target flying at subsonic speed at an altitude of 20m to 100m. Block III improvements include an improved propulsion system and Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance capability. Tomahawk can be fitted with a nuclear warhead which is not normally carried on the Los Angeles class. The anti-ship Tomahawk missile is equipped with an inertial guidance and an active radar and anti-radiation homing head. The range is up to 450km ...

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/la/

... Starting with USS PROVIDENCE and beyond the last 31 hulls of the LOS ANGELES - class have 12 vertical launch tubes for the Tomahawk cruise missile ... http://www.navysite.de/ssn/ssn719.htm