Government Dispatches escort ships and patrol aircraft to the Middle East

k10012229801_201912270512_201912270513.mp4

To strengthen the information gathering system necessary for ensuring the safety of vessels related to Japan in the Middle East, the Government of Japan has decided by the Cabinet on January 27 to dispatch escort ships and patrol aircraft as a unique initiative of Japan. Prime Minister Abe will coordinate a visit to Saudi Arabia and other related countries in the middle of next month, and would like to gain an understanding of the dispatch.

In the Middle East, tensions have increased since the United States unilaterally left the nuclear agreement over Iran.

The Government of Japan has decided to continue its diplomatic efforts to alleviate regional tensions and stabilize the situation, and to strengthen the information gathering system necessary to ensure the safety of vessels related to Japan. A Cabinet decision is made to dispatch a patrol aircraft on March 27.

This is based on the "investigation and research" stipulated in the Ministry of Defense Installation Law. In addition to dispatching a new destroyer, P3C patrol aircraft based in Djibouti in eastern Africa is being used to combat piracy.

The territory covers the Gulf of Oman, the northern Arabian Sea, and the high seas including the exclusive economic zone of the Gulf of Aden east of the Strait of Babelmandev, excluding the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Persia.

The activity period will be one year, and when it is extended, it will be reported to the Diet and a new Cabinet decision will be made.

If the situation changes, such as when an unforeseen event occurs, a maritime security action will be issued to respond, and the government will dispatch troops as soon as preparation and training are completed.

Following the dispatch, Prime Minister Abe talked directly to Iran's President Lohani, who visited Japan this month, to ask him for an understanding of Japan's efforts, and the next day, he called U.S. President Trump We had a talk and explained the contents of the talk.

Prime Minister Abe will coordinate a visit to Saudi Arabia and other related nations in the middle of next month, and would like to communicate this information directly and gain understanding.

Middle East dispatch

In the midst of tensions in the Middle East due to the conflict between the United States and Iran, two tankers were attacked in June in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, one of which was operated by a Japanese shipping company. did.

Prime Minister Abe was visiting Iran for the first time in 41 years as Japan's Prime Minister to encourage constructive responses to alleviate tensions.

As tensions grew further, as Iran shot down U.S. drones, President Trump posted on Twitter that "all nations should protect their own ships."

The United States explained the concept of the Volunteer Union to allies and friendly nations, including Japan, in order to secure the Strait of Hormuz, and called for participation.

Under these circumstances, the government continued its diplomatic efforts based on its relations with its allies, the United States, and its traditional friendship country, Iran. In October, the NSC held the National Security Council, and the United States was aiming to form a coalition We decided to consider dispatching the Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East in order to strengthen our information gathering system through our own efforts.

In response to this, the government advanced Foreign Minister Mogi and Minister of Defense Kono to ministers in the United States and Middle Eastern countries on their dispatch policies.

On the other hand, in Japan, the ruling party's internal procedures have begun this month, and the Komeito party has expressed caution about dispatching and has sought to clarify the necessity and dispatch period.

For this reason, the government updated the dispatch period every year, compiled a plan that included reporting the results of activities to the Diet, and obtained the consent of the ruling party.

Prime Minister Abe met with Iranian President Lohani on a visit to Japan this month. He conveyed Japan's willingness to continue diplomatic efforts and explained the specific situation regarding the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces. I appreciate that you explain with transparency. "

In addition, Prime Minister Abe talked with US President Trump over the phone and explained the details of the talks with President Rouhani. He stated that he would work closely with the United States to continue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and stabilize the situation in the Middle East.

Activities of the SDF

The government has defined the SDF's activities as the Gulf of Oman, the northern Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden on the eastern side of the Babel Mandev Strait, with the high seas including the exclusive economic zone of the coastal countries. The Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Persia, closer to Iran, are not included.

The government states that vessels related to Japan will sail about 3,900 vessels a year in the Strait of Hormuz, of which about 2600 will pass by tankers and 1800 vessels in the Babelmandev Strait.

When rescue ships refuel, they call at ports within their operational range, and will use the Salalah port in the southern part of Oman facing the Arabian Sea.

On the other hand, patrol aircraft will collect information as far as it does not hinder anti-piracy measures currently underway, and the policy is to focus on the Gulf of Aden, which is also an area of ​​anti-piracy activities.

Difference between "survey / research" and "maritime security behavior"

The government has decided to conduct this dispatch based on "research and research" stipulated by the Ministry of Defense's Establishing Law in order to strengthen the information gathering system in the Middle East.

The activities of the SDF based on "investigation and research" can be carried out under the authority of the Minister of Defense, and the government usually bases this provision on the SDF's vigilance and surveillance activities around Japan.

During the dispatch, some members, mainly the Komeito party, demanded a “stop” by preventing the dispatch from prolonging.

For this reason, in addition to making decisions on dispatching that are not necessarily required by the Cabinet, the government has decided to extend the dispatch period to one year, make a new Cabinet decision when extending the dispatch period, and report the results of activities to the Diet. Was included.

However, activities based on "research and research" are for information gathering purposes only, and it is difficult to escort even vessels related to Japan based on this legal basis.

The government states that if an unexpected event occurs, such as when a Japanese-flagged tanker is attacked by someone, it will switch from investigating and research to maritime security action.

The "Maritime Security Action" is a Cabinet decision to order the Minister of Defense to take necessary actions for the SDF to protect human lives and property and maintain security at sea, based on the SDF Law.

If issued, if you find a suspicious ship, you will be warned using a loudspeaker and obstruction of course, as well as using weapons such as warning shooting as far as it does not lead to the use of force, which is prohibited by the Constitution. .

However, under international law, the protection of ships is governed by the government of the country whose flag is registered. It is said that it is difficult to use skills with weapons even if it is operating.

According to the Japan Shipowners' Association, 10.5% of the vessels operated by Japanese shipping companies are of Japanese flag.

When issuing the “Maritime Security Action,” the government states that a Cabinet decision may be made by telephone or other means as necessary to make a prompt decision.

The maritime security action was first issued three times in 1999 when a suspicious ship, a North Korean engineered ship found off the Noto Peninsula off the Sea of ​​Japan, invaded territorial waters in 1999. It has been.

First long-term overseas dispatch based on surveys and research

This is the first time that the SDF has been sent abroad for a long period of one year based on the "Survey and Research" of the Ministry of Defense's Established Law.

The `` Investigation and Research '' under the Ministry of Defense's Act is based on the SDF's ships and aircraft that are conducting surveillance and information gathering activities in waters around Japan.・ Research has been dispatched overseas.

In the refueling activities conducted by the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Indian Ocean following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, ships were initially dispatched based on "investigation and research."

At this time, prior to full-scale activities, it was positioned as a temporary measure to investigate the weather and port conditions in the sea area of ​​the host country, and about two weeks later, a new “Special Act on Counter-Terrorism” was established. A ship was dispatched based on that.

At that time, it was pointed out that dispatching overseas based on "research and research" was an extended interpretation of the law.

This time, the activity period is one year, and this is the first case in which the SDF is dispatched overseas for a long time based on "investigation and research".

Situation around the SDF activity area

The Gulf of Oman, the northern Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, which serve as the SDF's mission to the Middle East, are important waters for the world's energy supply and logistics network connecting Asia to the Middle East and Europe.

Of these, the Gulf of Oman is an area that must pass from the Persian Gulf through the Hormuz Strait to the Arabian Sea, and is an important maritime transport route for countries that import crude oil from Gulf producing countries.

Although the SDF is not included in the scope of its activities, the Strait of Hormuz, which borders the Gulf of Oman, passes approximately 20% of the world's crude oil.

Of these, Japan, which depends on the Gulf countries for most of its crude oil, has more than 80% of its imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

In June, two people were attacked in June by two people, including a tanker operated by a Japanese shipping company that was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz on the Gulf of Oman.

The United States claims that Iran was involved in the attack, but Iran has denied and the truth has not been revealed.

In addition, a large U.S. drone was shot down by Iran in June of the same year, and in July a tanker of British flag was seized by Iran for failing to comply with international navigation rules. Tensions have increased.

The Gulf of Aden, on the southern side of the Arabian Peninsula, off Yemen and Somalia, is a maritime transport link between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

At the eastern end of the Gulf of Aden is the Strait of Barblemandeb leading to the Red Sea.

This strait is a transportation route for crude oil tankers from the Gulf countries to Europe and other countries, and nearly 5% of the world's crude oil supply passes through it.

In the Red Sea, north of the strait, Iran-backed Yemen rebels are attacking hostile Saudi tankers.

Meanwhile, in the Red Sea, an explosion occurred in an Iranian tanker in October, claiming that Iran may have been involved at the national level.

New U.S.-led de facto volunteer alliance launched

In the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Barblemandeb, a virtually new coalition led by the United States has been active since last month.

In July, the coalition called on the United States to form more pressure on Iran in July, but France and Germany, which are trying to ease tensions through dialogue, withdrew, and ended their relationship with Iran. The Japanese government, which places great importance on it, also showed caution.

As a result, seven participating countries were the United States and its allies, the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as Saudi Arabia and the UAE (United Arab Emirates), as opposed to Iran, as well as Bahrain and Albania.

In light of the concerns of each country, the United States is currently calling it a coalition of volunteers as an "activity to build international maritime security," and said that Qatar and Kuwait are expected to join soon.

In this activity, the headquarters is located in Bahrain, where the Fifth Fleet of US bases are located, and the participating nations dispatch ships and other means to conduct security and surveillance activities.

The active areas are the waters from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula, and the Strait of Barburu Mandevi. It is thought to have "a faction" in mind.

These areas partially overlap with areas where the SDF is scheduled to operate, and Commander MacKenzie, a U.S. Central Command in charge of the Middle East, told NHK at an international conference in Bahrain last month. We expect to do much of the same work, and we can share a lot of information as an ally. "