Japanese Ship Accidentally Downs U.S. Jet

TOKYO —  A Japanese destroyer accidentally shot down a U.S. bomber in the Pacific during joint military exercises Monday, and naval forces of both nations temporarily suspended all live-fire exercises as they sought an explanation for the incident.

The aircraft’s two crew members ejected safely and were rescued after a U.S.-made antiaircraft gun fired on the A-6E Intruder aircraft instead of the target that the jet was towing during exercises Monday night about 1,500 miles west of the main Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The 20-millimeter General Dynamics gun, which fires 3,000 rounds per minute and determines by computer if an object poses a threat, may have been inadvertently turned to an automatic firing mode, some officials speculated. The Japanese operator may have mistaken the aircraft for the target or accidentally pressed the firing button, others said.

The high-tech weapon, installed on the Japanese destroyer Yugiri, automatically fires if a target moving at a prescribed speed enters the firing range. But a Japanese official said it is rarely, if ever, on automatic.

President Clinton accepted Japan’s “gracious expression of regret,” and both sides stressed that the incident will not hinder efforts to strengthen U.S.-Japan military cooperation.

“We have very strong and good ties with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces. They are our partners in peace,” said Lt. Gil Mendez, a spokesman for Exercise RIMPAC 96 in Honolulu. “It was an unfortunate accident, but it was an accident.”

It was the first misfire accident involving U.S. and Japanese naval forces. A helicopter collision during joint U.S.-British training exercises in North Carolina last month killed 14 service members and injured two others. And a U.S.-made F-15 flown by a Japanese Self-Defense Forces pilot accidentally shot down a colleague with a Sidewinder air-to-air missile in November. The crew safely ejected.

“This is the kind of mistake that occurs in any kind of military drill. Among professionals, no one should make a federal case out of this,” said Japanese military analyst Makoto Momoi, stressing that similar errors also occur among civilian pilots, train conductors and other operators.

But he cautioned that Japan must guard against become overreliant on high-tech military systems, which it began introducing in earnest in the past 10 years. The Self-Defense Forces have recently unveiled a new strategy for a “compact, high-tech” military force as a dwindling youth population makes recruitment difficult and increasing automation a growing necessity.

Momoi said the forces need more training and exercises on their growing array of high-tech weapons systems.

Referring to the Japanese pilot’s misfire in November, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a newspaper, stated: “It’s likely the continuation of large-scale accidents of late will subtly change the evaluation toward the Self-Defense Forces among military officials of the world’s nations, beginning with the United States.”

In Tokyo, defense officials said the incident will have no impact on U.S.-Japan security relations, which have been significantly buttressed in recent months. In April, Clinton visited Tokyo and signed a security declaration with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to expand military ties, including allowing Japanese refueling and other services for U.S. operations in Asia.

Amid tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait, the two sides have also begun to review 1978 guidelines on military cooperation in times of crisis.

The Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun quoted an unnamed defense official as saying, “We want to pray that this won’t bring out the national allergy toward military power.” But Capt. Takuo Fukada of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces said such sentiments had not surfaced at all, nor did he expect them to.

“The Defense Agency, which is trying to strengthen U.S.-Japan military cooperation in preparation for a Far East crisis, has gotten off on the wrong foot,” the newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun declared in an analysis.

Lt. Cmdr. William Royster of Kansas City, Mo., the pilot, and Lt. Keith Douglas of Birmingham, Ala., were rescued by the Yugiri and escaped with minor bruises and cuts.

The annual maneuvers, called RIMPAC for Rim of the Pacific, involve the mock defense and capture of Hawaii and were first held by Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada in 1971. Since then, New Zealand has withdrawn; Japan began participating in 1980.

The current exercises, which started May 22 and are scheduled through June 21, have involved more than 44 ships, 250 aircraft and 30,000 sailors, airmen, Marines, soldiers and Coast Guard personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Japan contributions include 1,900 naval personnel and 160 air force members, along with eight escort vessels, a supply ship, eight submarine chasers and one submarine.

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Japan Downs U.S. Bomber

Asagiri class destroyer (Japan)

Displacement (tons) : 3,500 standard / 4,200 full load

Dimensions (feet) : 449.4 x 48

Speed (knots) : 30+

Crew: 220

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Two-seat carrier-based bomber for all-weather close air support and deep-strike missions

Wingspan: 53 feet

Length: 54 feet, 9 inches

Maximum speed: 644 mph

Range: 1,011 miles fully loaded

Engines: Twin turbojets

Built by: Grumman Corp.

First flown (A-6E): Nov. 10, 1970

Sources: Jane’s Fighting Ships; Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft