Japanese warships heading to Horn of Africa

Japan plans to send two new warships on an anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia to replace two destroyers that have been in the Gulf of Aden since March. The two destroyers, with a combined crew of 420, will set sail next Monday. "I ordered to send two patrol ships on July 6 to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia so that they will start their missions at the end of July," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada was quoted as saying by AFP. In June, Japan's parliament passed an anti-piracy law that allows the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect any commercial ships threatened by pirates. Earlier, the naval military was only responsible for those sailing under the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese nationals or cargo. The new law also widens the navy's rules of engagement and allows it to fire at the hulls of pirate vessels that approach other ships, as a last resort. Hamada also said on Tuesday that the new legislation takes effect on July 24, and that "the crew members have been trained to carry out the new mission."