Japan to dispatch 270 sailors to Middle East
The Japanese government plans to send 270 sailors
from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the northern Arabian Sea, which leads
to the critical Gulf of Oman and narrow Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, Nikkei Asian
Review newspaper reported.
The cabinet is to pass the deployment plan by the
end of this year. It will likely then renew the plan on an annual basis.
The plan calls for dispatching a helicopter carrier
that will have 250 sailors aboard. The carrier will have one patrol plane
aboard.
The P3C patrol plane will have about 20 sailors
assigned to it. The plane is currently taking part in anti-piracy operations
along Somalia's Gulf of Aden coast.
The coming research and investigation mission falls
under the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Defense.
It does not entail the firing of arms, but weapons
can be used if the mission comes under attack, as allowed under the
Self-Defense Forces Act.