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Japan calls for vigilance after North Korean boat sinks
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has called for heightened vigilance after a suspected North Korean spy ship sank in a rare firefight with Japanese patrol boats in the East China Sea.
The Japanese coastguard was searching for about 15 crew members of the boat and had spotted three bodies by nightfall in choppy waters, about 400 kilometres northwest of the Japanese island of Amami Oshima.
A coastguard spokesman says two Japanese coastguards were wounded in the fierce exchange of gunfire but were not in danger.
The 100-tonne boat sank late on Saturday after taking a direct hit in its hull when it ignored Japanese orders, coupled with warning shots, to stop after fleeing from Japan's exclusive 200-nautical-mile economic zone.
It's the first time in 48 years that Japan's coastguard has directly attacked illegally operating foreign ships.
24/12/01 4:51:09 | ABC Radio Australia News
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