Battle of Amami-Ōshima

Battle of Amami-Ōshima
	; A ZPU-2 anti-aircraft gun that was mounted on the North Korean spy vessel.
Date	22 December 2001
Location	Off the coast of Amami-Ōshima, in the East China Sea
Result	Japanese victory
Belligerents
North Korea	Japan
Units involved
Korean People's Navy	Japanese Coast Guard
Strength
1 naval trawler	2–3 patrol boats; 70 men
Casualties and losses
15 killed; 1 naval trawler sunk	3 wounded; 1 patrol boat damaged

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 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, which the Japanese authorities later announced was determined to have been a spy craft. The encounter took place outside Japanese territorial waters, but 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.