Japan prepares for Somalia mission
JAPAN: Japan Wednesday ordered its navy to start preparations
for deployment in waters off Somalia, becoming the latest nation to step
up the fight against pirates in the lawless African nation.
The government put the officially pacifist nation’s navy on standby
pending Prime Minister Taro Aso’s final orders, which reportedly will
come at least one month later.
“Attacks by pirates in waters off Somalia are a threat to the
international community including Japan, and it is the issue we have to
address with urgency,” Aso told parliament in a policy speech. “We will
quickly take feasible measures,” Aso said.
The conservative prime minister wants Japan to play a greater role in
global security. US, European and Chinese vessels have all been
dispatched to the waters off Somalia, where pirates attacked more than
100 ships last year.
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 historically tense relationship.
Shotaro Yachi, a diplomat close to Aso, said that when he visited China
last year, a senior official told him “we will send marine vessels and
are ready to cooperate with Japan if you plan to send vessels as well.”
“This could be a good example of Japan-China cooperation,” Yachi told
Jiji Press.
Industry leaders have been pushing Japan to take action, hoping to
spare Japanese ships the burden of sailing around Africa. Japan, which
relies heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global economic
crisis.
But Japan is restricted by its post-World War II pacifism, with
domestic law allowing the navy to use force to protect only ships flying
the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese passengers. Aso has called for a
new law to allow Japan to protect foreign vessels as well, so that it
can be part of international operations to tackle the piracy which has
dealt a costly blow to the global shipping industry.
But Aso may struggle to get the law through parliament, where the
opposition controls one house and is rising in the polls ahead of
elections later in the year.
TOKYO, Wednesday, AFP |
