Calling on Prime Minister Taro Aso, concurrently Director-General of the Headquarters for Ocean Policy, Tuesday afternoon, November 18, 2008, Ocean Policy Research Foundation together with The Nippon Foundation submitted the "Policy Proposal Regarding Japan's Response to Emerging Piracy off the Coast of Somalia." This proposal was handed over to the Prime Minister by the Honorable Gen Nakatani, a member of the House of Representatives (Chairman of Research Commission on Security, the Liberal Democratic Party), the Honorable Akihisa Nagashima, a member of the House of Representatives (Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party), Mr. Takeju Ogata, President of The Nippon Foundation, and Mr. Masahiro Akiyama, Chairman of Ocean Policy Research Foundation.
This proposal recommends that this country take effective measures to thwart emerging Somali offshore pirates. Specific measures called for herein include taking prompt action to dispatch the ships and airplanes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to deal with the Somali piracy situation under the issuance of "maritime security operations" order, and further studying enactment of a "Piracy Regulatory Law" (provisional name) in order to enable effective response to the piracy.
In the Somali offshore areas piracy occurs frequently, and becomes atrocious by means of hijacking navigating vessels and abducting the crews for ransom, threatening the safety of navigation. Therefore, the United Nations Security Council twice adopted resolutions calling for member nations to take measures to prevent piracy. Since the vessels related to Japan, or crewed by Japanese, have been damaged by pirates, the Japanese Shipowners' Association has submitted a written request to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
In light of these circumstances, Ocean Policy Research Foundation and The Nippon Foundation - inviting, in addition to two members of the House of Representatives, the Hons Mr. Nakatani and Mr. Nagashima, Admiral (Ret.) Furusho, former Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Mr. Ishikawa, former Commandant of Japan Coast Guard; Mr. Handa, Managing Director of the Japanese Shipowners' Association; Mr. Morimoto, President of Japan Captains' Association; and others -- held an "Emergency Conference on Measures to Thwart Somali Offshore Pirates" in Tokyo on Friday, November 14, 2008. This advocacy was adopted and announced at that Emergency Conference.