Text Fwd: Horn Of Africa: Japan's First Post-WW II Military Base Abroad 아프리카 곶: 일본의 2차 대전 이후 첫번째 해외 기지

* Image source: google: 'Djibouti' (Getting Around: US Navy Ports of Call)

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PanOrient News
November 15, 2010
Japan Constructs Large Military Base in Djibouti: Japanese Media

The Democratic Party of Japan-led government is constructing a large military
facility in Djibouti, the first Self-Defense Forces’ base abroad "to counter
piracy in the waters off Somalia in East Africa", Akahata reporterd.

The newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party said that this information was
revealed by a government response in writing to a written inquiry submitted by
Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Akamine Seiken on
November 2.

In June 2009, the government dispatched a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF)
unit, including two P3C patrol aircraft and 150 MSDF servicemen, to Djibouti.
Along with two destroyers which were sent in 2008, the unit is taking part in
anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden. At present, the MSDF unit uses the
U.S. base next to the Djibouti International Airport as a foothold for its
activities, according to the paper.

Akahata added that "after signing a lease on the land with the Djibouti
government, the Japanese government in July began building a MSDF facility in
the north-west zone of the airport as its new base of operations."

The government’s response states that "by using 4.7 billion yen in tax money,
the government plans to construct a 12 hectare facility which includes housing
units, hangers, and an office building. The facility will also have an aircraft
apron which can hold three aircraft and will be completed in March 2011."

Akamine criticized the MSDF’s new facility currently under construction in
Djibouti as being a “genuine military base” and said, “Constructing such a
facility enables the Self-Defense Forces to possess a permanent base abroad for
the first time since the war’s end. It is a matter of extreme importance
concerning abiding by the Japanese Constitution.”

He also urged the government to withdraw the SDF units from Djibouti, pointing
out that even though many countries have sent their military forces to Somalia,
acts of piracy are increasing and that “sending military forces offers no
solution to the occurrence of piracy.”
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See also

Stop NATO
Japan’s Next Stage Of Military Expansion: Drones
Wall Street Journal
November 15, 2010
Japan’s Next Stage of Military Expansion: Drones?
By Chester Dawson

Text Fw: Japan's First Overseas Base Aims At Expanding Military Boundaries

* Text informed by Stop NATO on April 29, 2010

Xinhua News Agency
April 28, 2010
Japan's first overseas base aimed at expanding military boundaries
Yu Zhixiao

BEIJING: Japan is building its first overseas military base in Africa's Djibouti
on the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to probe what waters its military can legally
reach farthest, analysts say.

In the name of better combating notorious Somali pirates, Japan is busy setting
up a 40-million-U.S.-dollar military base, which is expected to be completed
early next year.

Currently, some 150 Japanese soldiers battling piracy are stationed in a U.S.
base in Djibouti, which is at the southern end of the Red Sea.

The Japanese authorities say some 2,000 Japanese vessels, accounting for 10
percent of the world total, sail through the Gulf of Aden each year. Some 90
percent of Japanese exports rely on the crucial sea lane, which has been overrun
by rampant piracy.

On occasion, Japanese vessels have been hijacked by pirates.

The Japanese base, undeniably, would add momentum to the country's anti-piracy
efforts in the region.

But observers say that by establishing the base, the Japanese government is also
exploring how far it can go in increasing its military clout in the world.

According to the Peace Constitution ratified in 1947 after World War II, Japan,
to abstain from waging war, couldn't have a standing army and its warships
couldn't operate overseas.

But in October 2001, soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Japanese
lawmakers approved the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law, which allowed the
dispatch of Japanese warships and soldiers overseas.

Moreover, in July 2009, Japanese lawmakers passed the Anti-Piracy Law, which
provided Japanese self-defense forces with more mobility to use military power.
It also stipulated that the Japanese prime minister could send troops overseas
to conduct "anti-piracy" operations without approval of the parliament.

The base in Djibouti is Japan's latest effort to increase its military influence
in the world, analysts say.

Many countries are watching closely, and hope the base can play a constructive
role in cracking down on Somali pirates and contribute to regional peace and
stability.
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