Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he has ordered a review of the response Saturday to a possible spy ship in Japan's exclusive economic zone with a view to enhancing the country's ability to deal with similar cases in the future.
"(The foreign ship) had made considerable preparations and armed itself for an attack, so the Japanese side must also think of ways to deal with such incidents while keeping in mind that such reckless unidentified ships exist," Koizumi said. "There is a possibility that a similar incident will take place in the future, so we should review the legal aspect as well as taking a realistic approach to see what needs to be done."
Koizumi said that although he thinks the Japan Coast Guard responded well, there are still areas that need attention, such as its cooperation with the Self-Defense Forces, which was criticized in Monday's meeting for not being close enough at hand during the incident.