Japan Press Weekly

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2015 February 4 - 10 [POLITICS]

SDF officer will take command of anti-piracy multinational task force in Somalia

For the first time since the Japan’s Self-Defense Forces were founded in 1954, an SDF officer will take command of a multinational task force that is conducting counter-piracy operations in the sea area off Somalia. This could pave the way for Japan’s exercise of the collective self-defense right.

The Defense Ministry on February 3 announced that it will dispatch an officer of the Maritime SDF to the headquarters of the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) in Bahrain and that the officer will serve as a commander who coordinates the activities of participating countries, including the U.S. and Britain. The ministry explained that this will not amount to Japan’s exercise of the right to collective self-defense because the headquarters of the task force has no authority to give directions and orders to the members. The term of the new commander is two months from the end of May. The command of CTF-151 rotates among member countries.

Based on the 2009 anti-piracy law, MSDF’s escort vessels and patrol planes have been taking part in the CTF-151 operations to guard and protect civilian ships from pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The law allows SDF members to use weapons to protect themselves and to arrest armed pirates.