Expanded role for MSDF?

Wider role for Japan’s MSDF?

Appointment of MSDF officer to anti-piracy command may signal expanded overseas missions

The appointment of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) Rear Admiral Hiroshi Ito to head multinational forces on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia is drawing attention as a possible attempt to pave the way for the expansion of the overseas missions of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF).

Ito, 50, will lead the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151) operating in the Gulf of Aden for about three months from the end of May.

“The MSDF has grown to have the world’s highest levels of maritime defense capabilities. The force needs to perform its duty commensurate with its capabilities,” Ito said.

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Source: mainichi.jp