Abe visits shrine in Australia for second world war Japanese submarine crew
- Imperial sub was sunk off the coast of Darwin in 1942 while laying mines for allied shipping
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday visited a shrine in Darwin commemorating the deaths of 80 Japanese submariners in waters near the city in the second world war.
Abe arrived in Darwin on Friday for meetings with Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, becoming the first leader of Japan to visit the northern port city since it was bombed by Japanese forces in 1942.
After laying a wreath with Morrison to remember the 240 people estimated to have died in the Darwin bombings, Abe on Saturday honoured servicemen from his own country killed in a lesser-known incident.
Japanese submarine I-124 was sunk with depth charges deployed from an Australian ship, the Deloraine, after a battle on January 20, 1942. The sub had been one of four from Japan laying mines in the area to attack allied shipping along the northern coast of Australia.
The I-124 sank with all 80 crew members on board, and remains on the seabed some 90km (60 miles) northwest of Darwin. The city was bombed by Japanese forces a month later.