(Provisional Translation)

January 28, 2009

The Minister of Defense issued instructions to the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Director General of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters to prepare for measures against piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. The outline of the instructions is as follows.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden is a threat to the international community including Japan, and is an issue that should be addressed immediately. For measures against such acts of piracy, the Minister of Defense plans to issue an order for maritime security operations as an emergency measure for the time being.

To cope with this situation, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Director General of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters will carry out the necessary actions including the following, with the support and cooperation of the Chiefs of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force and the Air Self-Defense Force.

1. Preparation for the formation of the unit and others
2. Information gathering including field investigation
3. Training, inoculation and others
4. Procurement, replenishment, storage, maintenance of equipment and others
5. Coordination with relevant organizations