MSDF may be in Somali waters by March

The government and the ruling parties plan to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to fight piracy off Somalia as early as March by invoking the maritime policing activity clause of the Self-Defense Forces Law, sources said Thursday.

Prime Minister Taro Aso is expected to make a final decision on the MSDF dispatch by the end of this month at the earliest. Following his decision, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada will order the MSDF to start preparations for the dispatch, according to the sources.

The sources said that two destroyers are likely to participate in the mission and will start escorting Japan-related vessels in waters off Somalia, including in the Gulf of Aden, as early as the end of March.

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