Learning multilateral military and political cooperation in the counter-piracy missions: a step towards de-centering of Japan's security policy?

ABSTRACT

In January 2009, the Japanese government decided to join the multilateral-force counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the coast of Somalia and has since then developed into one of the most active and involved forces combatting maritime piracy. This special issue defines de-centering as a ‘process of moving away from a state of centering by building relationships with other partners’ through ‘security and defense consultations and dialogues’. This article argues that this counter-piracy mission involved many if not all of these components and can be seen as an important opportunity for Japan to deepen its understanding of forces and governments of countries and forces other than the United States in various dialogue and coordination forums, joint capacity building, and joint training exercises. While it is not argued that this will in any way weaken US–Japan relations or the role of the United States as Japan's main security guarantor, it demonstrates that Japan and the Self Defense Forces can become a security partner for countries in Europe or NATO. This potentially gives Japan more options whether to support or not support specific foreign policy decisions by the United States, a condition for de-centering.

KEYWORDS:

• Japan
• security cooperation
• security multilateralism
• EU–Japan
• Japan–NATO
• maritime piracy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Earlier studies that analyzed the first years of Japan's involvement into the counter-piracy missions off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden include Black (2014); Ohn and Richey (2014); Oh (2013); Black and Hwang (2012); Midford (2012); Black (2012); Bateman (2012); Inamoto (2011); Christoffersen (2009).

2. Most significant were UN Security Council Resolution 1816 (2008) because it allowed all countries to ‘enter the territorial waters of Somalia for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea’ to ‘…repress, within the provisions of international law, acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels irrespective of where such acts occur…’. And UN Security Council Resolution 1851 (2008), which allowed all countries to take ‘all necessary measures to interdict those who use Somali territory and airspace’ and to plan or conduct acts of piracy. It also welcomes ‘the launching of the EU operation Atalanta to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia and to protect vulnerable ships bound for Somalia, as well as the efforts by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and other States acting in a national capacity in cooperation with the TFG to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia’ (TFG = Transitional Federal Government).

3. Shortly before, US ambassador Thomas Schieffer had expressed the hope that Japan would soon join the counter-piracy mission (AFP, 2009).

4. Seventh Governing Council Meeting of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), March 2013, but also sixth and eighth Meeting in March 2012 and March 2014, respectively, see: ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) (March 8 2012); ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) (March 7 2013); ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) (March 4 2014).

5. Examples are the visits to the Djibouti base are those of Prime Minister Abe in August 2013, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Akira Sato in April 2013, Defense Minister Onodera in May 2014, or Defense Minister Inada in August 2016.

6. In a note about his experience in participating in the CTF-151 in early 2014, MSDF Captain Hiroaki Tajiri, wrote about the ‘unforgiving conditions we face so far away from Japan with temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius and humidity close to 100% on many of the days’ (MOD 2014, Defense White Book 2014, p. 297).

7. For a more detailed analysis of the EU–Japan cooperation, see: Vosse (forthcoming).

8. NATO Maritime Command's Vice Admiral Christian Canova, and a group of representatives from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited the Japanese base in Djibouti to support the implementation of NATO's new strategic concept, focusing on its counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield (OOS).

9. In February 2012, Rear Admiral Antonio Natale visited the Commander of the Japanese Escort Group on board JS Suzunami, and in August 2013 OSS Force Commander, Henning Amundsen, visited the MSDF Escort Division 6, Captain Tsutomu Iwasawa, on board JS Akebono in the Gulf of Aden.

10. GSDF Lieutenant Colonel Chizu Kurita became an adviser to NATO Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security in the office of the Secretary General. The assigned appointment was for two years, from December 1 2014 to November 2016.

Additional information

Funding

This paper has been supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [grant number 24530146]; and Osaka University.

Notes on contributors

Wilhelm M. Vosse

Wilhelm M. Vosse is professor of Political Science and International Relations at the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan, where he also serves as Director of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). He held visiting research positions at the University of Oxford and Harvard University. His research interests include Japanese foreign and security policy and the domestic discourse on defense and security. Current research projects deal with Japan's new security partnerships, maritime piracy, and cybersecurity. Recent publications include Japan's New Security Partnerships (Manchester University Press, 2018); Governing Insecurity in Japan. The Domestic Discourse and Policy Response (Routledge, 2014). Address: International Christian University, Osawa 3-10-2, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8585, Japan.