Japanese navy will join anti-piracy patrols
The Japanese government has finally ordered the MSDF prepare for deployment off Somalia:
Tokyo plans first to send ships under an existing marine security law, which only permits the navy to protect Japanese ships, or those carrying Japanese crew or cargo. Kyodo news agency said ships could depart as early as March.
To dodge possible criticism from other countries whose ships are patrolling the area, the government is also considering a new law to enable it to protect non-Japanese vessels and broaden the scope for using weapons beyond self-defence.
Opposition parties don’t seem very warm to the idea of creating a new law to allow the MSDF to actually protect non-Japanese ships from pirate attacks, so it is unclear if the desired new law will ever become a reality.
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