*EPF303 02/28/01
Transcript: Special Envoy to Japan Feb. 28 on Ehime Maru Sinking
(U.S. Government takes "full responsibility" for accident) (6580)

"The United States Government and the United States Navy take full responsibility" for the February 9 collision between the U.S. submarine USS Greeneville and the Japanese fishing training vessel Ehime Maru, Admiral William J. Fallon, special envoy to Japan, said in a February 28 press conference in Tokyo.

According to Fallon, the United States has started two investigations -- one through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a civilian organization that reports to Congress, and one through the U.S. Navy -- of the accident that caused the loss of nine Japanese students, teachers, and crew members. Although both investigations are trying to determine the cause of the incident, they have different purposes, he said.

"At the end of the day, the NTSB provides recommendations for the improvement [of procedures] and will do its best to determine the cause of the mishap," he said. "The Navy investigation has another additional responsibility. And that is to determine if there is going to be any disciplinary or follow on legal action."

Because of the possibility of disciplinary measures or other actions as a result of the Navy investigation, Fallon said, facts and statements that come to light during that process are considered evidence and therefore are not available to the public until a Navy Court of Inquiry convenes.

"Unlike the NTSB investigation, this [Navy investigation] is a closed process," he said. "It is not open to the public and that is, I think, part of the reason for lots of confusion and misunderstanding and ill feeling so far in this process."

Fallon noted that a Court of Inquiry is a rare occurrence in the United States.

"It's the provision, according to our laws, at the highest level to consider a matter such as this. It's rarely used," he said. "However, I think it's indicative of the seriousness of this offense and the seriousness with which it's viewed in the United States that this procedure's been elected."

In response to questions concerning the presence of civilians on the USS Greeneville, Fallon said that the U.S. Navy places a high priority on giving civilians "an opportunity to see firsthand what it is our sailors are doing."

"It's extremely important in a democracy to have good understanding of what's going on in the military and the civilian sectors," he said. "Not just the Navy, but all of our armed forces, feel that the exposure of our operations to our civilians and particularly to those who are key leadership personnel and key influences in the society, that this is a very, very worthwhile effort."

Fallon said that, throughout his meetings with Japanese officials and family members of those lost in the accident, people have stressed "the importance of keeping U.S. and Japanese relations in the manner in which we've become accustomed."

"One of the outcomes that we desire in the aftermath of this tragedy is to ensure that that relationship remains as strong as it has been, and I've seen every indication on the Japanese side to support the very strong feeling that I took from the U.S. when I came over here," he said.

"This is a very, very serious matter," he said. "And the seriousness with which this is viewed in the United States is the reason for my mission here to Tokyo ...to express the profound apologies and regret of the United States Government, the United States Navy and the people of America to the Government and people of Japan and particularly to the families of those involved in this mishap."

Following is a transcript of the press conference:

(begin transcript)

Press Conference with
Special Envoy to Japan Admiral William J. Fallon
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
United States Embassy Tokyo
February 28, 2001

EMBASSY SPOKESMAN: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We're very honored to have today at the American Embassy in Tokyo the President's Special Envoy to Japan, Admiral William J. Fallon. He is accompanied on the stage by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas S. Foley. The Admiral will open with a short statement. And then we will move to questions.

ADM FALLON: Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for allowing me to meet with you today. Let me first begin by thanking Ambassador Foley for the wonderful support that he's given me in this mission. He and his staff here have bent over backwards and just done a marvelous job. Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much.

I'd like to begin by noting and stating my deep appreciation to the government of Japan and the people of Japan for the very warm and open manner in which they have received this solemn mission which I was asked to carry out. This is a very, very serious matter. This is a regrettable tragedy which resulted in the loss of the Ehime Maru on the ninth of this past month. And the seriousness with which this is viewed in the United States is the reason for my mission here to Tokyo. Which, to re-cap, was to express the profound apologies and regret of the United States Government, the United States Navy and the people of America to the Government and people of Japan and particularly to the families of those involved in this mishap.

And to that end I met with Prime Minister Mori last evening and delivered a personal letter from President Bush to him expressing our apology and regret at this incident. I then met with other government leaders, cabinet members, members of the Diet, the JDA, but most importantly to me, I had the opportunity to meet with two of the family representatives this morning. Two men who have lost sons in this tragic mishap. I was sincerely touched by the opportunity that they were kind enough to allow me to meet with them and to discuss in private their feelings and to help answer some of their questions. I should also say that there has been a very, very consistent message that I have received while I have been here in Japan and the message is one of sincere regret that this incident occurred. And a determination and a desire on the part of the families and other people within the nation of Japan that we should make every effort in the United States to undertake the salvage of this vessel if it is possible so that we may make an attempt to find the missing. And I assured Prime Minister Mori and the families and all others with whom I have met of our firm determination to undertake this recovery effort.

And the next issue, many questions regarding the process of the investigation. There's been a lot of discussion, many comments made publicly and throughout the world media regarding the facts surrounding this case. I spent a lot of time explaining, attempting to explain, the process of this investigation and we also talked about the efforts to date; the initial efforts for search and rescue and the prospects for salvage.

I think with that I would like to open it up to your questions.

Q: AP. We've spoken with the Ehime prefectural officials and they've said that you expressed an interest in visiting tomorrow, is this true? And if so, whom will you meet with and what do you hope to accomplish there?

ADM FALLON: Thank you very much. When I came over here to Japan it was my desire to meet with the family members. So that I could express personally to each of the families the sincerity of our feeling and to pledge to them that we will do everything that we can to affect the recovery of their loved ones. I felt a little bit ill at ease because I did not know the circumstances within which I might find myself, if I had gone directly to the area where these people live. And so this morning when I had the chance to meet with two of the family members, I asked them, I told them of my desire and asked them for their consideration and their opinion as to whether this would be both possible and the right thing to do. We considered this matter. We talked about it. They then went off and consulted with other family members and I've received word in the last couple of hours that in fact they would desire me to go and meet with them. So, that is the intention. Tomorrow I will go to Ehime and my expectation is that I would be very, very happy if I could see the people. The message that I would deliver is very simple. I come seeking their understanding, seeking their acceptance of our apology. That is the real message. And I would also avail, make myself available to them in an attempt to answer remaining questions that they have or to explain things that have been previously answered that in some way that I can help them come to grips with this very tragic incident.

Q: CBS News. Sir, by my count, we've had an apology from the President of the United States, Secretary of State Powell, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Ambassador Foley has apologized twice, I think, once to the Prime Minister and once to the Emperor when he was giving a farewell audience. The subs' Commander has sent his letter of sincere regret, that's what he said. And now you are here again with an apology. There's some suggestion in the United States that, to put it bluntly, enough is enough. Have we, do you think apologized sufficiently at this point to satisfy the sensibilities of the family, government and the Japanese people at large? Thank you.

ADM FALLON: Thank you sir. I'm aware that we have many things in common between these two nations but there are fundamentally some cultural differences. And in my discussions, both with the Prime Minister and today with government officials and with the families, that no matter how we come to grips with this reality, in fact there are some fundamental things that are a little bit different in the culture. And so, in my understanding of Japanese feelings and sensitivities, particularly in this very, very serious matter in the loss of loved ones, that there is a very, very strong need to have those in authority that have some responsibility for events which may have caused a significant loss and certainly embarrassment that the expression of apology is very important. And I think also, and something that came to me as I met with the families today is that it's more than just the statement of apology. But it's really a way in which we reach out to these people, to help them come to grips with this tremendous tragedy; of losing or having loved ones missing, and unable to come to closure. So if we can help that in any way possible, then I think I'd stay here as long as I could or as long as required to effect that closure. And so, fundamentally, that is what this is about. And I think that underlies the importance of the mission that I undertook to come here.

Q: Kyodo news. General [sic], maybe it's a little bit too early to ask but this is an unavoidable question. Do you have in the Navy, or as a government, a guideline or a standard for compensation for the loss of lives and do you prefer to deal directly with the families or do you encourage them to go to court to file lawsuit? Thank you.

ADM FALLON: Thank you. The issue, the question is one of compensation. We have procedures that are in place that are well known within the Navy, and we are quite ready to begin this process when the families determine that the families feel they are comfortable in doing it. And we will effect that directly through our representatives here, the naval representatives in Japan with the families. We've discussed this with the government and it's a matter of timing and when the families are ready to proceed with this then we'll take up the matter. But we're quite prepared and ready to move forward in this area.

Q: CNN. As a follow up to that question about the apologies and that you were saying that in being here you would be able to reach some sort of closure with or help the families reach some sort of closure with this case. How far do you think you have come in achieving that with this visit? From your talk to the relatives.

ADM FALLON: Great question. Time will tell. This is not an easy matter and I can tell you that I came here with the express purpose of trying to demonstrate the sincerity of my government and our people. And I think that the best indication will be from the families themselves in the comments that they may chose to make or their actions. But the indication was that from the time that I spent with the two fathers today that I was very, very impressed with several things. One, their sincerity, the depth of their grief, their composure, their courage, and it's really a message that I will take home to the United States. One with which I was deeply impressed. I think, I hope that I was able to make a contribution to this effort and I think time will tell, as the healing process hopefully begins.

Q: Italy. A few years ago an American pilot had an accident in Italy and killed 20 people in a cable car and at that time then President Clinton called up our Prime Minister Delana (ph.) and apologized like Mr. Bush did to Prime Minister Mori. But then after two years the pilot was acquitted and that caused a lot of uproar in Italy. And in exchange the Italian side, the victims got a lot compensation, about two million [sic] dollars each. What are your expectations of the trial against the captain of the ship?

ADM FALLON: I'd like to make a couple of comments. First regarding the compensation. I don't think it is possible to compensate anyone for the loss of a loved one. But we will do whatever is appropriate in this case. The second question as to the second part of your question regarding the results, I think we have to wait until several procedures play out. As I am sure you are aware, there have been two investigations that have been commenced as a result of this mishap. Two investigations in the United States. One, the National Transportation Safety Board, a civilian organization charted and reporting to Congress, they are directed to investigate the causes of mishaps involving commercial vessels and to make recommendations to hopefully prevent such occurrences in the future.

A second investigation is being conducted by the Navy. It is known as a preliminary inquiry. Unlike the NTSB investigation this is a closed process. It is not open to the public and that is I think part of the reason for lots of confusion and misunderstanding and ill feeling so far in this process. The NTSB investigation has proceeded. They have collected a lot of information. And I believe they are now in the second, next phase of their process where they go off and consider that and make their conclusion and this will, I expect, take some months. The second process is well underway. The preliminary investigation has been completed. The results of that have been handed over to the person who commenced it or asked for it, that's Admiral Fargo, the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. He considered the findings and made the decision to instigate what is known as a Court of Inquiry.

I might state that this Court of Inquiry is not a very common occurrence in the United States. It's the provision, according to our laws, at the highest level to consider a matter such as this. It's rarely used. However, I think it's indicative of the seriousness of this offense and the seriousness with which it's viewed in the United States that this procedure's been elected. This process is underway. As you know it's scheduled to begin now on the fifth of March in Honolulu and the way this process will unfold is that the court, which consists of three U.S. navy admirals, and we have added a technical, another Admiral from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Admiral Ozawa, who is going to be a member of this court. And they will hear the reports of the statements of fact and other documentary evidence. They will then deliberate. They will draw their conclusions and promulgate opinions and recommendations.

Depending on what those recommendations are, Admiral Fargo may then elect to proceed with other actions and one of those could be a disciplinary action. But it remains to be seen. The Court of Inquiry needs to complete its process first. And this is where there's a significant difference between the NTSB process. At the end of the day, the NTSB provides recommendations for the improvement and will do its best to determine the cause of the mishap. The Navy investigation has another additional responsibility. And that is to determine if there is going to be any disciplinary or follow on legal action. Because of that fact, is why it's been very carefully held and very carefully considered in evidence and other facts and statements that have been made. And so this is why in an effort to ensure that this process is safeguarded that this information has not been released already and it is not going to be released until the court convenes. For example, the (preliminary) inquiry is a closed proceeding. I would expect that when the Court of Inquiry opens that this will either be introduced or the Admiral Griffith who conducted this investigation will be called before the court and asked to explain his findings. So in that matter this will all be revealed.

Q: I have three really short questions, I'll make it really short. In the light of this accident and the fact that you'll be taking some recommendations from the Court of Inquiry is there already any movement in the Navy to re-evaluate their refusal to act on the NTSB recommendation to use active sonar? Which I think was issued in 1992. The second question that I have is the United States apologizing an admission of, that this accident's responsibility is 100 percent in the United States or is it, what is the relation to the apology in the United States perception of its responsibility for this action, accident? And the third question I have is concerning the Court of Inquiry. At this point the Navy has forbidden tape recording of the events but according to the JAG instruction 5830, which basically regulates these kind of inquiries, the convening authority can approve the recording of proceeding if he feels the need and it would seem that in the interest of having a very accurate reporting of the proceedings in the press that tape recording might be useful for a verbatim report. Is there a particular reason why the Navy will not allow tape recording of this trial?

ADM FALLON: That's a mouthful. Let me address the first question. The sonar, I'm not going to make any comment, whatsoever, on any statements that may have appeared as a result of the NTSB investigation. The Navy will consider all facts that are relevant and I would expect that they'll arrive at the appropriate recommendations regarding the use of any equipment on the boats. I don't understand at all your second question. So, if we could come back to that. As regards the details of the Court of Inquiry. I'm not a legal expert on that particular course of action. I have no knowledge at all of any particular regulations that they may have promulgated in Honolulu. We'll have to get back to you. You want to state again your second point again? I'm not sure what you meant by the apology.

Q: I'm sorry I was unclear. Is the United States apology an apology that admits tantamount that the responsibility for this accident is 100 percent on the part of the United States.

ADM FALLON: Yep. The United States Government and the United States Navy take full responsibility for this mishap.

Q: Going back to the issue of apologies, Admiral. The sub commander, Scott Waddle, sent a note which I'm sure you've seen where he expressed, I think I'm quoting accurately, most sincere regret for what happened, but what family members said what they really want to hear is an actual apology. Now you've presented that sort of an apology. Is there a reason, either militarily or legally why Commander Waddle cannot simply say I'm sorry to the families of those who lost family members in this accident?

ADM FALLON: I've made the direct apology from the head of the government to the Government of Japan. This issue of the word apology, or the words that convey that, are in fact at the root of the difference between the two nations, both in legal terms and in cultural terms, and without attempting to get into the mind of Commander Waddle or his attorney's to determine exactly their choice of words, I think it will be reasonable for me to state that there is a difference in the two nations. In Japan, it is my understanding that no matter what the circumstances, no matter how awful or how tragic or how culpable a person may be, that the culture demands an apology as a matter of first order of business. As I'm sure you've sensed, that is not the case in the United States. There is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, there is the right to not self incriminate and my understanding of what's at play here is that the fundamental tenets of U.S. law are at play and they are different than Japanese law and that's the root of the fact that we can't get perfect congruence on this issue.

Q: I would like to ask you the question concerning the cause of the accident, if you could answer my question as much as possible, I would appreciate it. According to the documentation you have provided to answer the questions by the families, it says, the documentation said that the Navy conducts such emergency rapid ascent maneuvers on average twenty-thirty or several times a year and as for the emergency surfacing maneuver at this time, was maneuver conducted because of the judgement of the Captain who thought maneuvers should take place, or was there an instruction or order given by somebody above him - the Pacific Command or someplace and would it be possible that accountability or responsibility indeed may exist in somebody above the Captain himself?

ADM FALLON: I don't know the answer to that question, and I have no idea who made the determination to execute that particular maneuver on the day of this tragic mishap. I can tell you a little bit about that maneuver; in fact, there are several reasons which it is conducted and why it is conducted. There is a requirement that each of our submarines demonstrate this maneuver periodically for a couple of reasons. First, to ensure that the crew is trained to be able to do it because, fundamentally, what this maneuver entails is an ability to rapidly get to the surface in the event of some other catastrophic problem or emergency in the boat, and so for those who are into the technical part of this, you have to be able to execute it very crisply and very rapidly. The other purpose is to make sure the equipment that actually causes this event to occur is functioning correctly, and so that's the periodic requirement for a demonstration. The exact issue here regarding this incident is going to be determined by the Court of Inquiry, and so we'll have to let them.. I have no knowledge at all of who may have directed this particular event to occur, but it is a requirement, it's a very important requirement. I should also mention that in the interim, that these emergency blows have been suspended, as I think you know, when there is anybody else on board the ship.

Q: Admiral, many Japanese, especially the relatives, would like to see the U.S. at least try to raise the Ehime Maru from the depths of the ocean. Number one, do you believe this is technically feasible and number two, what sort of commitments did you give to the relatives and to Japanese officials in your meetings here?

ADM FALLON: I have no idea whether it's technically feasible. A lifting of a ship of this size from the depth in which it lies in the Pacific has never been conducted before, to the best of my knowledge, in history. Notwithstanding that, I stated and reiterated the firm commitment of the U.S. Navy and the government to attempt to bring this vessel to the surface and we're proceeding with that goal in mind. Whether we are successful remains to be seen, but we're proceeding. We're waiting for the technical recommendations from the experts and the plan is to move ahead.

Q: Precisely regarding technical problems, are you going to do it yourself, the Navy, with the Japanese Navy and with other countries eventually?

ADM FALLON: Regarding the attempt to salvage, we have consulted and are in the process of consulting the best technical knowledge in the world -- worldwide -- wherever we can get it. The firm that has acknowledged or is acknowledged as expert in the world is in fact has a contract right now to give us an evaluation of how to proceed, but in my meetings here today I made the offer to do this in conjunction with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. As you may know, there are people already on station in Honolulu and in fact there are people from the ship builder that actually constructed the ship were meeting in Washington yesterday as consultants in this matter, but our intention is to work very closely with the Japanese and American Navy's to effect this maneuver, but we're going to take the expertise from wherever we can get it in the world to help us with this.

Q: We think that it's quite unusual for such a high ranking military man to come to Japan to apologize. Is it out of fear of the possible backward effects on our military ties?

ADM FALLON: No, it's because it's the right thing to do, and it's because we need to demonstrate the sincerity of our motives. I should tell you that at every place that I visited yesterday and today, the very strong statement was made to me of the importance of keeping U.S. and Japanese relations in the manner in which we've become accustomed and to recognize how important they are for both nations, in the general sense and in the military sense, and certainly one of the objectives, one of the outcomes that we desire in the aftermath of this tragedy is to ensure that that relationship remains as strong as it has been, and I've seen every indication on the Japanese side to support the very strong feeling that I took from the U.S. when I came over here.

Q: There were sixteen civilians on board the USS Greeneville and the view is that the navy is conducting this kind of operations and there are views that the cruise was more kind of a fun ride than military training. How do you respond to this view?

ADM FALLON: Thank you. I'd like to respond in two ways. First, the number on board remains to be seen and we'll find out during the course of the investigation whether the personnel that were on board in any way contributed to the mishap. The second thing is I'd like to state that, in fact, we consider this very important - we, the U.S. Navy, consider this a very important piece of business, and that is that our civilian people in the United States have an opportunity to see firsthand what it is our sailors are doing. It's extremely important in a democracy to have good understanding of what's going on in the military and the civilian sectors, and so we view, not just the Navy, but all of our armed forces, feel that the exposure of our operations to our civilians and particularly to those who are key leadership personnel and key influences in the society, that this is a very, very worthwhile effort. And, again, it remains to be seen what effect their presence may have had. I can tell you that in other events on submarines there have been groups this size and in fact much larger, but they were different circumstances, so we'll just have to see what the outcome of this is, but we think it is very, very important. This is not a joy ride. This is something in which we need to demonstrate the capabilities of our forces to our people so that we can ensure that we have an understanding and their support.

Q: With this unfortunate accident and with an accident unfortunately also in Italy and other accidents that have been going on sometimes in Iraq, reportedly the U.S. bombing of Iraq causing a lot of civilians, we see increasingly that the United States forces are causing a lot of civilian death all over the world, so do you have any message to assure your allies or even the civilians in those countries which are enemies to the United States that they are safe and American technology is not really making more mistakes? Thank you.

ADM FALLON: I think it should be very clear that this is an accident. This is unintentional by any measure. It is very, very regrettable, it's unfortunate, it's tragic, but at the root, it's an accident. We regret any incidents in which we cause loss of life or property. There is a very, very important need to train. There is a very important need to conduct military operations. We attempt to do it any place in the world in which we operate in a manner that is safe and effective. That's the reason we have procedures in place. That's the reason there are certain rules, many rules in fact, under which operations have to be carried out and I'd expect that as a result of this inquiry, one of the principal focuses will be to see exactly how much in compliance the operation was carried out and I'm sure if there are modifications to be made to those operations, they'll be effected. But, this was an accident. There are humans involved. I suspect that, at any rate, I won't comment any further on that one, but we'll expect to see the results in the Court of Inquiry.

Q: First of all, thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to ask you questions in the Japanese language. I have two questions. The first question is, I believe not so far distant after the incident, in other words, soon after the accident occurred, I believe that several U.S. Government officials made comments in which they said that there was no connection between the accident of this time and civilians on board the submarine. I would like to know from you, as the representative of the American government, has there been any change in this thinking? The second question is already voiced by the journalist from Italy. There was an accident in Italy as indicated earlier and also there was another accident that took place about twenty years ago off Kagoshima Prefecture and it involved the George Washington. Through these accidents and incidents, there have been some suspicions or doubts as to how the United States or American military can deal with the question of determining the causes or cause of the accident. In this connection, in this context, I would like to see the substance or proceedings of the Court of Inquiry made more public than usual, including allowing television or recording as somebody voiced earlier, allowing those media's to be brought into the Court. Could you tell us why these things like allowing television or recording or making the proceeding of the Court of Inquiry more public?

ADM FALLON: Let me try and take them in order. Regarding statements that may or may not have been made by people in Washington, without seeing the detail of exactly what they said and in what circumstances and to what extent, I can't comment, and I will not comment on any specific information that may or may not have come out as a result of the NTSB process or whatever. We'll wait and let the Court of Inquiry listen to all the facts and draw their conclusions. The second comment about the... I picked up an implication there earlier that we have lots of mishaps and it goes back to an earlier question about what's going on, you can't seem to do operations without having mishaps. Let me say that every day, in all parts of the world, we have people underway conducting operations day after day, week after week, month after month without mishaps. Occasionally, regrettably, there are mishaps, but by and large, our people are incredibly safe in their operations. You can look at any measure of statistic in which we view our operations either in the air or on the sea or under the sea and you'll see a great improvement just in the time that I've been in the Navy. Regarding the openness of any proceedings, I don't know how we could be more open than this Court of Inquiry is proposed for Honolulu. And, I'm not the expert, so I'm not going to get very deep into it, but I know there are certain laws and regulations by which these proceedings are conducted and if, in fact, one of those regulations is that there are not live TV cameras from media in the courtroom, then that's the regulation. However, I am informed that in fact these proceedings are going to be open; that people, families and other onlookers, and I believe there is a pool of reporters that have already been credentialed, that will be sitting in the courtroom and they will be able to follow minute-by-minute, second-by-second every piece of information.

I also understand that there is going to be a closed circuit television broadcast of this information to a location outside the courtroom which is large enough to accommodate the rest of the media. So, I may be slightly off in some of the details there, but I think that is the gist of it, and that should be a very, very fair and open process.

Q: I am from Ehime, the home of the victims. Several ten years ago, off the coast of America, a submarine collided with a tugboat and American civilians were killed in that accident. Originally, the American submarine is in a position to protect civilians of the U.S. and the allied countries; however, it is giving a threat. Several years ago, active sonar use was recommended. Of course, there is a military confidentiality requirement, but maybe you can change the requirement to shift the use of active sonar in the future.

ADM FALLON: Let me answer the question. First of all, I'm not going to make any comment on the efficacy of using active or passive or any other kind of sonar, but I will tell you that there are in fact procedures in place that are reviewed constantly by higher authority in the submarine chain of command and in other aspects of our operations in which the way in which operations are conducted are reviewed and procedures are put in place and those procedures are approved, and if those procedures are executed correctly, they should be in a manner which minimizes potential safety impacts to the vessel or to other vessels. I would also again make the comment that this was a mishap. This was not intentional, and that we have operations on the high seas every day in all parts of the world that are executed very safely and very efficiently and effectively.

Q: Do you know already who specifically you are going to meet tomorrow in Uwajima other than the families, and also, to my understanding, there is still such an operation going on off shore of Hawaii. What will be the determining factor to call off that such mission?

ADM FALLON: Regarding the first question, I don't know how many family members, but I was told just a short time ago that I believe that representatives from each of the families who have missing people will be there and I'm very, very grateful for that. The second question regarding the conduct of operations in Hawaii, I can tell you that in the course of our discussion today with the family members, that in fact Mr. Terata came forth and told me that in consultation with the families, that he thought that it was now the appropriate time to recommend that we, the American forces in Hawaii, transition from the Coast Guard leading this search and rescue effort over to the Navy, and we have passed that recommendation on to Honolulu and I would expect that they will act on that. I should tell you that we are continuing with the Navy looking for any sign of survivors or any other debris or any articles that may come to the surface; and that we have an extensive underwater effort that has been underway now for the past couple of weeks and, in fact, I'm told that we have successfully managed to scan the ocean floor for several square around the remains of the vessel and they are in a process of reviewing that information to ascertain exactly what's down there and to make sure that if there is anything that's appropriate to the investigation or the desire of the families to get anything from the ship, that we'll be able to get that back.

If I could before I leave, I'd like to again reiterate the very, very sincere manner in which I was received here in Japan. The open, frank discussion that I've had, the common themes of the messages which I received which I will transmit back to Washington, and to reiterate our intention to proceed with the salvage as soon as we can get the technical reports, to our intention to ensure that the remainder of the investigative process is conducted in an open and transparent manner, and that we will proceed with compensation at the appropriate time when the families feel ready to bring this issue up. I'm very, very deeply indebted to Ambassador Foley and the staff again for what they've done and I thank you very much for your time.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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