Japan readies navy vs Somali pirates

TOKYO -- Japan may deploy its anti-piracy task force off Somalia as early as March, said Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, speaking as an advance team left for the region Sunday to prepare for the mission."We will be able to send vessels in early March after providing necessary equipment to vessels and training of naval officials," Hamada told Japanese reporters at a security conference in Munich, Germany, public broadcaster NHK and other media reported. Last month the Japanese government put the pacifist nation's navy on standby for a mission to Somalia, and join a coalition of countries fighting piracy in the lawless area.Prime Minister Taro Aso is expected to give the final order this month for the mission to proceed.The conservative prime minister wants Japan to play a greater role in global security. US, European and Chinese vessels have all been sent to the waters off Somalia, where pirates attacked more than 100 ships last year.On Sunday, Japan's defence ministry sent a fact-finding team to Djibouti, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain to prepare for its anti-piracy mission.The team is due to visit harbors and airports as well as gather information on other countries' anti-piracy measures, before returning to Japan to draft the navy's operational plan, defense officials said.
China's mission marks the first time in recent history that the country has deployed ships for possible combat beyond its territorial waters. Japan and China have often jostled for influence, although they have been working since 2006 to repair their tense relationship.
Agence France-Presse