Admiral William J. Fallon, Chief of Naval Operations and special envoy of the Government of the United States of America, visited Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori at the Prime Minister's Residence on the evening of 27 February 2001, where he presented the Prime Minister with a personal letter from President George W. Bush. He expressed deep regret and apologies over the recent tragic accident on behalf of the U.S. Government and the American people to those who suffered this painful accident, the missing persons, their families and other people involved, the Japanese Government and to the Japanese people as a whole. He further stated that the U.S. Government and U.S. Navy took full responsibility for the accident and would continue to search for the nine missing. He added that they were committed to investigating the cause of the accident and were doing everything in their power with regard to the salvage operations.
In response, Prime Minister Mori once again expressed deep regret over the accident and conveyed the feelings of the families as well as other people involved. He requested that the U.S. Government carry out a prompt and thorough investigation into the accident, and also that it salvage the Ehime Maru and provide compensation to those involved. Prime Minister Mori added that the Japanese Government was willing to cooperate to the fullest extent possible, and had already dispatched a team of salvage experts as well as a Rear Admiral to the Court of Inquiry.