A submarine of the National Self-Defense Forces of Japan collided with a commercial vessel off the coast of Kota Prefecture on Monday.
This was stated by the Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers, Katsunobu Kato, at a regular press conference. In connection with the incident, a crisis headquarters was created at the Prime Minister's Office to collect and analyze information, he noted.
The Prime Minister of the country, Yoshihide Suga, ordered to do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the private vessel and promptly inform the population about the development of the situation. According to the authorities, no damage to the hull of the commercial vessel or submarine was recorded.
At the same time, Kato could not answer the question about the victims. "This is all the information we have at the moment," he noted.
Meanwhile, according to the Kyodo agency, at least three members of the submarine's crew were injured as a result of the incident. It is also reported that the collision occurred at the time of surfacing — according to the agency, the upper part of the submarine's hull received minor damage.
