Newsletter No. 1413
News-Analysis
July 14, 2009

 

SOMALIA ANTI-PIRACY MISSION: RELIEF IS ON THE WAY

On afternoon of the 6th, two additional warships, the 4,550-ton Harusame and the 3,500-ton Amagiri, left Japanese ports bound for the Gulf of Aden. The new anti-piracy law takes effect on the 24th, and these two MSDF destroyers will relieve—presumably on the very day the new law takes effect—the two destroyers already operating under the ostensible framework of the SDF Establishment Law. The new destroyers will be clearly authorized to escort commercial ships of any nationality and open fire on suspected pirate boats that don’t flee at the sound of warning shots.

A total of about 420 personnel, including eight Japan Coast Guard officers and members of the Special Boarding Unit, the MSDF’s commando unit, are aboard the Harusame and the Amagiri. Their tour is expected to last about four months.

The Yomiuri reports that, as of the 5th, the current mission of the Sazanami and Samidare had escorted 104 vessels in 34 operations, meaning the average size of each escorted convoy was three ships. Convoy sizes are expected to be larger if foreign ships request a Japanese escort. If the convoys become too large, it becomes difficult to protect them very effectively.

THE NEXT STEP: MIXING MISSIONS

We would not know, except for a single article by Hidemichi Katsumata in the Daily Yomiuri, that the Somalia anti-piracy mission has crossed paths and cooperated with the Indian Ocean anti-terrorism mission. On June 6th, the Sazanami and the Samidare met the supply ship Tokiwa and received a refueling at sea. Katsumata’s militarist heart was tickled as he noted that, despite difficult sea conditions, “the ships worked in perfect synchronicity, completing the refueling operation in 45 minutes, about half the time required to refuel foreign vessels.” Ahh! There’s that ol’ Japanese efficiency in action!

The whole point of Katsumata’s article was to complain that the anti-piracy mission and Indian Ocean refueling mission wasn’t allowed to work together more often. As we have seen repeatedly with the Japanese right, every time they knock down a barrier on the remilitarization of Japan, they become further emboldened and start looking for another legal restriction which they suddenly discover to be unfairly tying the hands of the brave boys in uniform, whose only ardent desire, of course, is to valiantly protect their nation from the gathering foreign threat and to cover the name of JAPAN in glory. Or, quoting directly Katsumata’s own conclusion: “To what extent have politicians pricked up their ears to hear the comments of those working on the frontlines of the MSDF’s antipiracy and refueling operations? Coordinating the two international cooperation activities—namely antipiracy operations and logistical support—should be the next step taken by lawmakers.”

OTHER ISSUES

Djibouti Blues

Although the political line presented in Katsumata’s article was the normal rightwing fare, it also contained a lot of factual information that I have seen nowhere else. As mentioned, I had not been previously aware that ships of the two separate missions had cooperated, or were allowed to cooperate.

He also had some interesting things to say about the base in Djibouti. It sounds like there is a traffic jam occurring at this port now, and many of the supplies available there are of low quality. Waiting in line at Djibouti for fuel and supplies once delayed a MSDF destroyer so long that it could not restart its operation to protect Japan-related merchant ships as scheduled. Also, the water available at the port is not drinkable “because it has been found to contain a high number of dead insects.”

Philippines Appreciates Japanese Anti-Piracy Mission

It should be noted that the Republic of the Philippines is especially appreciative of the expanded Japanese anti-piracy mission. In June, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque was briefed on Japan’s new rules of engagement by officials of the Japanese Ministry of Transport. After the briefing, Roque declared, “They will provide long range air cover to minimize piracy in the area… That means lesser risk for our Filipino seafarers now passing through the Gulf of Aden.”

More than 350,000 Filipino seamen are employed by merchant fleets around the world.