Battle of Amami-Ōshima

The Battle of Amami-Ōshima, known in Japan as the Spy Ship Incident in the Southwest Sea of Kyūshū (九州南西海域工作船事件, kyūshū-nansei-kaiiki-kōsakusen-jiken), was a six-hour naval confrontation between Japan and North Korea. It took place outside Japanese territorial waters, near the Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, in the East China Sea on 22 December 2001.

The encounter ended in the sinking of the North Korean vessel and the loss of its fifteen crew, which had survived the initial sinking but were left to drown. The Japanese authorities later announced the vessel to have been a spy craft. Though the encounter took place outside Japanese territorial waters, the vessels were within the exclusive economic zone, an area extending 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) from Japanese land, within which Japan can claim exclusive rights to fishing and mineral resources.