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Japan finds three bodies after mystery boat sinks

Japan's coast guard yesterday found three bodies believed to be crew members of a mysterious boat that sank after an exchange of fire with Japanese patrol boats, with suspicions growing the vessel was a North Korean spy ship.

The unidentified ship, which had ignored orders to stop after being spotted within Japan's 370km exclusive economic zone, sank on Saturday after a day-long pursuit by 25 Japanese coast guard ships culminated in a shootout.

Two crew members on board Japanese coast guard boats sustained arm injuries in the exchange of fire.

The sinking left the estimated 15 crew of the unidentified boat missing at sea, leaving the nationality of the ship a mystery.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi defended the coast guard's decision to fire at the vessel, saying it was an act of self-defense.

Japanese government sources were quoted as saying they suspected the unidentified ship to be a North Korean spy ship.

The coast guard found in waters near where the mystery ship sank a body wearing a life jacket with Korean hangul characters written on it.

"Hangul characters were written on the life jacket of a body that was retrieved [by coast guard ships]," a coast guard official told a news conference.

Officials also said the ship was similar to a suspected North Korean spy ship spotted in 1999 and the crew members appeared well trained in gunnery on the high seas.

A coast guard spokesman said three bodies believed to be crew of the unidentified ship had been found and that two had been retrieved so far. Twelve coast guard ships and 13 aircraft were continuing to search the area, he said.

Japan has been sensitive about unidentified craft since the 1999 incident in which two vessels suspected of being North Korean spy ships were spotted in Japanese waters in the Sea of Japan.

In that incident, Japanese coast guard and navy ships gave chase but were unable to catch the intruders, which were rigged as fishing boats but able to move at high speed.

North Korea denied any connection to the ships.

Koizumi said he would consider new steps to deal with such unidentified ships.

"The situation is deplorable in that armed, suspicious boats are infesting waters around our country in this manner," he said. "We need to consider countermeasures, with both legal and practical aspects, as there are groups and people which make suspicious moves."
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