The 'Ehime-Maru' Incident from a Different Perspective

The "Ehime-Maru" accident was a tragic incident, in which a mistake by the US Navy took the lives of nine people, including several young high school students. For a period after the incident, the Japanese media, in conjunction with many websites, gathered much sympathy for the lost crew and reported extensively on the emotional aspects of the tragedy. However, there were few references made to the different values of Japanese and American people in terms of the political system in America that caused the collision, the rescue effort after the accident and the raising of the sunken "Ehime-Maru".

The US Coast Guard's Prompt Search and Rescue

We can only assume that the nine people tragically lost in the incident were trapped below deck, therefore making it impossible for them to be rescued. If nothing else, at least all the Ehime-Maru crewmembers thrown into the sea by the impact of the collision were saved by the US Coast Guard's prompt rescue effort, and on-going reports on the state of rescue activities were posted on the US Coast Guard's website immediately following the tragedy.
The prompt and efficient rescue services of the US Coast Guard and the US Navy are highly regarded in their own right. I distinctly remember Satoru Matsuki, yachtsman and Honorary Professor of Kobe University of Mercantile Marine, telling me about the US Coast Guard's immediate reply to his distress call along the coast of America. On expressing his gratitude they replied by saying "It's our obligation to provide such a service to the tax paying public of this country".
However, there were two hot topics of discussion in relation to the rescue effort of the Ehime-Maru.
The first was the issue of the crew of the submarine assuming the role of bystanders and not participating in the rescue activities after the accident. It appears that they judged that, rather than making a poor attempt from a submarine without any rescue equipment, that a more efficient and effective effort could be made by waiting for the trusty US Coast Guard, who are specialists in rescue activities. Furthermore, this may also explain why they choose not to interfere in the rescue, and watched as fellow US Navy personnel completed the rescue on their behalf. Maybe it's unavoidable that Japanese people felt that such spectatorship was disgraceful, but it must be accepted that in the heat of the moment such a judgment is likely to have been made. Sure, if the coast guard rescue team were late to respond, naturally you would have expected that the crew of the submarine would have attempted to make the rescue, but in this case it's hard to say that such emotional criticism was advisable.
The other issue is that of the U.S. Coast Guard wanting to call off the search and rescue activities. One can imagine that after 10 days of rescue activities and no sign of the missing nine people, this was nothing but a rational decision made in relation to the remote possibility of finding anyone by continuing the search. However, the strong pleas of the victims' families and Ehime Marine High School were accepted and the search was continued for some time after. Surely the US Coast Guard and the US Navy must be acknowledged for attempting to understand the feelings of the grieving Japanese and acting in an appropriately respectful manner.
Consequently, I think it can be said that America's response at the scene of the accident was more than reasonable considering the circumstances. On the other hand, however, I think it was very regrettable that the US media translated the Ehime-Maru not as a "Training Ship" but as a "Fishing Boat", which portrayed an image to the American public that a Japanese ship using youth labor was undertaking trawling operations near Pearl Harbor, of course, when its motives were very much different.

An Accident Invited by a Obligatory Service to the Civilian Public (Taxpayers)

The way in which administration provides obligatory services to the taxpaying public of America is no doubt an outstanding achievement of the American democratic system. However, taken from another view, it was also the incorrect implementation of this obligation to civil society that led to this tragic accident.
Allowing the passage of civilians aboard a leading nuclear powered submarine that is less than 5 years old, and furthermore to put the passengers through an emergency surfacing experience is something that could only be heard of in America. Even if this was considered to be a way of disclosing information to the civilian public, you would at least think that the most important issue during the experience would be to educate the public about the safety assurance functions of the submarine. This too is the kind of experience that civilians aboard should have demanded, instead of the thrill of the rapid resurfacing maneuver being the "main event" of the journey. Is it not that the US Navy's manual on "Civilian Submarine Tours" is concentrated on displaying performance limits to its audience? I only hope that US Navy officials and the general public understand that, not only is there absolutely no meaning in an experience that caters for desires that are different from the safe everyday navigation of submarines and also the aims of an excellent democratic system, but rather that this process has created a detrimental service that causes accidents. One would imagine that former Commander Scott Waddle, the other crewmembers of the submarine, and indeed the civilians (tax payers) aboard the submarine, themselves, now ever regret the day that high-ranking navy officials first ordered the guiding of unfamiliar civilians through a cramped submarine. Of course Commander Waddle is no doubt even more remorseful that, amongst the disorder, the all important safety check was verified by just one quick account of the activities on the surface. No excuse now will ever exempt him from the responsibility for the collision.
In his apology to the bereaved families, Commander Waddles commented that he would have to burden a large weight on his mind for the rest of his life. This signals that he is certainly aware of this responsibility.
Even if the requests of civilians (taxpayers) for information disclosure and demonstrations are considered to be worthy, America must reflect on this incident as highlighting the top priority that must be exercised towards safety.
The Ehime-Maru accident can be viewed overall as a sad incident in which the American system failed miserably.

The Raising of the Ehime-Maru

The issues surrounding the raising of the Ehime-Maru throw much light on the differences in Japanese and American culture.
For the families, relatives and friends involved in the Ehime-Maru tragedy, confirming the deaths and obtaining the remains of the nine people, presumed to be trapped in the hold of the sunken ship, are the only motives behind their requests. The actual reclamation of the ship itself is of no particular concern. In contrast, in western culture people often receive special dignity for meeting with misfortune at sea, and more often than not their bodies and spirits are left to rest in peace where their lives were taken. Without working through the misconceptions that occur from such cultural differences in thinking, America's views on the feasibility of raising the Ehime-Maru initially focused entirely on the physical aspects of the issue. However, even with the cultural misconceptions, must we not give the United States credit for the positive way they agreed to undertake the salvage of the sunken vessel?
As I mentioned earlier in this article, this collision was caused by a mistake by they US Navy, and there is no room for explanation or debate in regards to their responsibility in the incident. However, for the prevention of further accidents, the coexistence of both parties in maritime affairs and the mutual respect of different cultural values, I think that examining the background to this tragic accident, in terms of the American political system, the state of search and rescue activities and the large gap created by cultural differences is very important.