TOKYO —

The Diet enacted an antipiracy law Friday authorizing the Self-Defense Forces to protect any commercial ship from pirates, regardless of a Japanese connection. Currently, Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers operating in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia are only authorized to protect Japanese-related commercial ships under the Self-Defense Forces Law.
   
Earlier in the day, the opposition-controlled House of Councillors voted down the government-sponsored bill during its plenary session.
   
But the more powerful House of Representatives later approved it for a second time on the strength of the two-thirds majority of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito party coalition.
   
The law can be passed this way due to a provision in the Constitution that stipulates the superiority of the lower house on legislative matters. The lower house originally approved the bill in April.
   
The government plans to switch the legal basis for the antipiracy operations from the maritime police action provision of the SDF Law once the law takes effect in late July, according to government officials.
   
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan pressed to add to the legislation a provision that would require Diet approval before the SDF is dispatched on an antipiracy mission, but the ruling bloc rejected the idea.
   
The new law authorizes the SDF to protect from piracy foreign-flagged commercial ships unrelated to Japan, in addition to Japanese-flagged commercial ships, foreign ships with Japanese nationals or shipments on board and others operated by Japanese firms.
 
It also enables the SDF to open fire on pirate ships that, despite warning shots, keep closing in on other ships. Under the SDF Law, the SDF can take warning shots at pirates but not inflict damage on them except in limited circumstances, such as in self-defense.
   
Opposition parties have criticized the legislation, saying it would enable the government to dispatch the SDF abroad at will so long as its mission is to counter piracy.
   
Sending the SDF abroad is a sensitive issue in Japan given constitutional limits on the use of force.
   
Two MSDF destroyers were sent to the Gulf of Aden in March as a maritime police action. At the time, the government described the dispatch under the provision as a stop-gap measure taken in the absence of a more suitable law to back antipiracy operations.
   
Two P-3C patrol planes have also been dispatched to the African country of Djibouti to conduct surveillance missions over the gulf and provide relevant information to MSDF destroyers and the commercial ships they escort.

© 2009 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

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11 Comments

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  Gaijinocchio at 02:45 PM JST - 19th June

  Should've been enaacted in the first place. Better late than never, I suppose.

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  smithinjapan at 04:19 PM JST - 19th June

  Indeed, Gaijinocchio, on both counts. I just hope they make sure it's pirates before they start shooting.

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  joseba at 04:57 PM JST - 19th June

  I have my -reasonable- doubts about this matter. I feel this is just an excuse to become a militaristic nation again. More than a oxymoron, the "Self-Defense" Forces are the remnant of a imperialist regime that should have never been created in the first place.

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  teck at 08:10 PM JST - 19th June

  The SDF was created under the "request" of the US, when Japan was still occupied by the US, so as to free US occupation forces to participate in the Korean War.

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  memyselfI at 10:35 PM JST - 19th June

  Rules of Engagement

  REMEMBER !!!!!

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  USNinJapan2 at 11:00 PM JST - 19th June

  Finally. Now they can actually contribute to the mission.

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  dontpanic at 11:03 PM JST - 19th June

  This is a seriously tough mission. Even those nations willing to use force are finding it hard to tell fisherman from pirate, until the pirates are on board their target and it's too late.

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  YuriOtani at 02:06 AM JST - 20th June

  joseba, what do you want Japan to do? Have no defense force at all? Have America set up the occupation again and rely on them to defend us? (sometimes I think their bases as occupation) I think America will let Japan down, they are not trustworthy if it conflicts with their own "self interest" Perhaps America will take China's side to avoid war? What do you want Japan to do, lie helpless in fact of the Korea and Chinese foe? The only mistake perhaps is making it a "self defense force"

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  Shumatsu_Samurai at 03:33 AM JST - 20th June

  Good news. Japan should pull its weight when it comes to international security matters - it has had a free ride for too long.

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  OssanAmerica at 05:12 AM JST - 20th June

  have my -reasonable- doubts about this matter. I feel this is just an >excuse to become a militaristic nation again

  No, Japan has no interest in becomming a military controlled dictatorship. That's why NKorea freaks them out so much. It reminds the Japanese of what Japan weas like 70 years ago. Anyway anyone who has spent any time in Japan wouldn't make such an unrealistic comment.

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  bushlover at 06:19 AM JST - 20th June

  I think it's good they start protecting all shipping. Navies shouldn't be held back when used for the greater good.

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