Japanese lawmakers held the first meeting Friday to begin drafting a bill specifically for the dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) ships abroad on anti-piracy missions, seeking wider global influence of Japan's military.
The project team of ruling parties is expected to reach a conclusion by around mid-March so the government can submit the bill during the current parliamentary session, scheduled to run through early June, Kyodo News said.
U.S., European and Chinese vessels have all been dispatched to waters off Somalia to stop pirates who attacked more than 100 boats last year.
Current Japanese pacifist constitution after World War II only allows the MSDF to protect ships flying Japanese flags or carrying Japanese nationals.
Japanese officials and lawmakers have been discussing the dispatch of the MSDF to waters off Somalia to join the international effort, but no established legal framework exists for such a mission.
Kyodo said it is also expected to consider deploying the MSDF to waters off the coast of Somalia under the maritime policing provision in the Self-Defense Forces Law as a stopgap measure until the proposed bill is passed.
Source:Xinhua
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