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Tokyo: A Japanese naval destroyer crucial to Japan's missile defence system collided with a fishing boat on Tuesday, the coast guard said, sparking questions about the ship's monitoring of other ocean traffic.
Two men on board the fishing boat were missing after the collision east of Tokyo, prompting a search by military and coast guard vessels and aircraft.
The Atago destroyer, the newest of Japan's five ships, is equipped with high-tech Aegis radar systems and typically carries a crew of around 300. It was heading back to Japan after a training exercise in Hawaii, a defence ministry spokesman said.
The opposition Democratic Party's top point person on defence criticized the government’s competence in the matter, questioning why the destroyer's crew and defensive radar had not seen the fishing boat.
Human error has been cited as the most probable reason. Some analysts said the Aegis system, used primarily for air defence, was unlikely to have been at fault.
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