Japan, Somalia: Pirate-Infested Waters Getting Crowded

Japan is getting closer to deploying its own naval warships to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia. Gen Nakatani, a former defense chief and Japan Self-Defense Forces officer who now heads a government panel on combating piracy, expressed the need for urgency Jan. 15, as Prime Minister Taro Aso continues to prepare legislation authorizing the deployment. But there is more than just maritime security operations to the massing of the world's navies in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia. The more ambitious are also taking careful note and learning to become proficient in sustained, long-range naval operations.