Cabinet ministers Friday approved government-proposed sea patrol measures that call for more communication between the nation's maritime authorities, following a failure in March to capture two suspected North Korean spy boats.
The operational plan, mapped out by the Cabinet Security Affairs Office, calls for the Maritime Safety Agency and Maritime Self-Defense Force to immediately exchange information should either encounter apparent foreign reconnaissance vessels.
In such an emergency, the Cabinet Secretariat, which is led by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka, will act as the intelligence hub for ministries and agencies, according to a statement released Friday by the Cabinet Security Affairs Office.