Japan MSDF submarine releases decoy by mistake
Officials of Japan’s Defense Ministry say a Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine mistakenly released an anti-torpedo decoy during training in the Pacific, on May 24.
No damage has been reported.
The officials say the submarine, Sekiryu, was navigating underwater off the western island of Shikoku early Thursday, when the device was erroneously launched.
They say crew members were testing the submarine’s anti-torpedo defense system. The error reportedly occurred while they were checking the release procedure.
The torpedo-shaped vehicle automatically navigates for a certain period of time. It does not carry any explosives.
The officials say the MSDF has been searching the area, but has not found the decoy. MSDF officials are investigating the cause of the mistake.
The submarine was deployed at an MSDF base in Hiroshima Prefecture in March last year.
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