By Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes

A senior Japanese government official on Wednesday heaved a sigh of relief at the disciplinary action against Cmdr. Scott Waddle whose submarine sank a Japanese fisheries boat.

The U.S. Navy has taken responsibility for the accident from the beginning, said Toshitsugu Saito, Director General of the Defense Agency. He said that the decision of U.S. Navy made the government stance very clear.

"Adm. Fargo used the word, ‘guilty.’ This assured me that the disposition is equivalent to a guilty sentence," Saito said. He said he would have more concerned if Waddle had not been found guilty in a court-martial.

"There was a possibility that he would be acquitted if he was court-martialed," Saito said.

"I support the decision made by Adm. Fargo, who made it clear that Cmdr. Waddle is responsible for the accident," he said.

Reaction was opposite in Uwajima, the small fishing village where the fishing school is located.

Hisao Onishi, captain of the sunken Ehime Maru, could not believe the "lenient" sentence that Waddle received.

"I am enraged," he said shortly after hearing the news Tuesday.

"My guilt is enormous because as captain of the Ehime Maru, I am fully responsible for the lives and safety of the students and my crew members," he said.

"It is very painful for me to live with the guilt. But, compared to this, Cmdr. Waddle received an honorable discharge," Onishi said. "I don’t understand this."

Hirohisa Horita, principal of the Uwajima Fisheries High School, believes that this is not the end of the story.

"This is the beginning," he said.

"It is very important how the U.S. Navy fulfills its responsibility for the accident and how Cmdr. Waddle would face to the accident as a human being," he said.

"I will keep a close eye on these points," he said.