From Shock to Outrage

The people of Uwajima know the sea. Located at the western tip of rural Shikoku Island, they go out to fish in nearby waters and culture pearls in the bay. From their history they understand that the ocean can be capricious and cruel.

Yet nothing prepared them for the shock of hearing that an American submarine, nuclear-powered and laden with the world's most sophisticated electronic gear, sprang without warning out of the waters near Hawaii, smashing into and sinking the Ehime Maru, a training vessel from the Uwajima Fisheries High School. Nine local men and boys are still lost at sea. As...