Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Prime Minister Attends a Ceremony for the Departure of a Maritime Force to be Dispatched off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden

Prime Minister Taro Aso attended a ceremony for the departure of a maritime force to be dispatched off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, held at Kure Base of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

On the previous day, the government held a Meeting of the Security Council and decided to dispatch the Maritime Self-Defense Force to conduct maritime security operations provided for in the Self-Defense Forces Law so as to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia. In response to the decision, Mr. Yasukazu Hamada, Minister of Defense, issued an order for the maritime security operations, giving an instruction to dispatch the Maritime Self-Defense Force.

A maritime force comprising two destroyers "Sazanami" and "Samidare" will take measures against acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, in order to protect lives of the people of Japan and their assets at sea.

In his address, Prime Minister Aso said, "The mission of the dispatching personnel is to prevent acts of piracy; it is a new form of mission which entails danger and difficulty. It is a very unique mission, unprecedented in that it requires cooperation between those from the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard, and between the government and ship owners, among other concerned parties; as well as partnership between Japan and other countries. I am convinced that such cooperation and partnership would enable us to overcome difficulties and ensure the security of maritime traffic for the Japanese and foreign vessels."

Following the Prime Minister's address, Minister of Defense Hamada, a guest at the ceremony, and a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force each delivered an address. The participants of the ceremony then saw off the two destroyers departing Kure Base.

Related Link

• Statement by Prime Minister Taro Aso (Concerning the "Draft Law on the Penalisation of Acts of Piracy and Measures against Acts of Piracy" and the Cabinet Decision on the Approval of the Prime Minister concerning Maritime Security Operations) (13 March 2009)
• Measures against Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden (Ministry of Defense)