Britain joins ship interception drills

Britain has joined three days of maritime exercises hosted by Japan, starting today.

The drills involve the mock interception of ships in Pacific Ocean waters south-west of Tokyo, as well as ship-boarding and inspection exercises at the ports of Yokosuka and Yokohama, also south-west of Tokyo, the country’s foreign ministry said.

Ships and aircraft from seven countries are involved in the mock-ups, according to a Japanese official.

The Pacific Shield 07 exercises are being conducted as part of the US-originated Proliferation Security Initiative. It is the second time Japan has hosted such drills, the first being in 2004.

The current exercises involve 10 ships, six aircraft and personnel from Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Britain and the US, foreign ministry official Shingo Ito said. Forty countries sent observers, he said.

US President George Bush launched the PSI in 2003 with the aim of stopping shipments of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems and related materials worldwide.

The Bush administration and the 40-odd countries who support the programme have said that stopping ships in international waters on suspicion they are carrying illicit traffic is perfectly legal. But there is some uncertainty about whether the suspect cargo can be seized.