Defense minister tells SDF to get ready for antipiracy mission off Somalia

Wednesday 28th January, 03:57 PM JST

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soldave at 12:17 PM JST - 28th January

techall - funny and scarily believable
norinrad21 at 01:26 PM JST - 28th January

All the countries that matter are doing in too, we can't stay behind even though we like to pretend we matter
some14some at 02:05 PM JST - 28th January

Pls wait till MSDF finds a partner who can protect them.
bebert at 03:45 PM JST - 28th January

Any nation unwilling to take the heat for actually "killing" Somali pirates - by the boatloads if necessary - should not be in the coalition.
teck at 06:01 PM JST - 28th January

Japan does have laws to defend against an invasion, it is just that they have restricted their own interpretation of their laws so narrowly that it sometimes seems like nothing is ever going to get done. But they do need to review their rules of engagements to allow the JMSDF ships to effectively defend themselves and other vessels at sea, since current interpretation does not allow them to defend other vessels. And that takes time...
wanderlust at 09:47 PM JST - 28th January

‘‘I therefore plan to issue an order for the maritime police action as an immediate, emergency measure,’

and

... the actual operations in the far-off waters likely to begin in late March or later.

Is there anything swifter than an immediate, emergency measures that takes three months? What if there was a real hurry?
borscht at 11:25 PM JST - 28th January

Last time JT reported about this, it said the SDF would only protect Japanese cargo ships. Although I'm sure a Japanese navy destroyer could probably mistakenly run over pirates attacking a British cargo ship and then claim it was a 'pilot error.' After all they've done it here in Japan.
mushroomcloud at 12:28 AM JST - 29th January

Many posters here are mocking the Japanese as being timid or inept, but it should be applauded that Japan is making such moves to participate with the coalition of nations already in the Gulf of Aden.
OssanAmerica at 02:34 AM JST - 29th January

Many posters here are mocking the Japanese as being timid or inept, but >it should be applauded that Japan is making such moves to participate >with the coalition of nations already in the Gulf of Aden.

True. And if the JMSDF actually engage the pirates and God Forbid maybe even hurt one of them those same posters will be here ranting about Japan's return to WWII militarism. Can't win either way.
OssanAmerica at 02:40 AM JST - 29th January

Japan does have laws to defend against an invasion, it is just that they >have restricted their own interpretation of their laws so narrowly that >it sometimes seems like nothing is ever going to get done.

Yea I know. I was being snide. But the truth is that the world has changed, and Japan needs to bring it's constitution up to date with the times. There are now less "wars" and more "police actions" and Japan needs to get with the program if it wants to keep respect as a member of the international community. Japan can't expect other countries to protect it, to support a a bid for the Perm UNSC, to support Japan's position on the NK abductees if it isn't willing to protect other nations ships, or take responsibility for security befitting the second largest economy in the world.
mushroomcloud at 02:43 AM JST - 29th January

'True. And if the JMSDF actually engage the pirates and God Forbid maybe even hurt one of them those same posters will be here ranting about Japan's return to WWII militarism. Can't win either way.'

Agreed, but even if Japan returned to WWII militarism, it would not nearly be as threatening as it was then, due to a tectonic change in terms of balance of power. China was weak in the 1930's, now China is a nuclear armed military juggernaut; Korea was occupied by Japan back then, now (at least for the North) is well armed (nuclear too) menace. So I think it is perfectly fine, in fact, even harmless, for Japan to return to it's militarist ways. The block has changed considerably in the past 60 years.
OssanAmerica at 03:19 AM JST - 29th January

Agreed, but even if Japan returned to WWII militarism, it would not >nearly be as threatening as it was then

True. But the probability that Japan, or any country for that matter would return to the militarism of the WWII days is so remote as to render it impossible. The world has changed far too much since then.
mushroomcloud at 03:43 AM JST - 29th January

'True. But the probability that Japan, or any country for that matter would return to the militarism of the WWII days is so remote as to render it impossible. The world has changed far too much since then.'

Agreed.
soldave at 12:42 PM JST - 29th January

borscht. More likely would be a Japanese submarine surfacing beneath a British cargo ship and sinking it.
OssanAmerica at 01:21 AM JST - 30th January

If it weren't for an actual tragic accident not too long ago that line would have been humorous.