Japan starts anti-piracy mission off Somalia - minister
Japan has started its anti-piracy mission off Somalia, the defense minister said Tuesday, an operation in which Japan's military could engage in combat abroad for the first time since World War II.
Japanese warships are to leave on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, in an operation that could see Japan's armed forces face combat abroad for the first time since World War II. The two destroyers -- the 4,650-tonne Sazanami and 4,550-tonne Samidare -- are set to leave the port of Kure, western Hiroshima prefecture, following a ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Taro Aso and Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada.