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Yasukazu Hamada

Minister of Defence, Japan

As the political head of a more outward-looking Japanese military, the Self-Defence Forces, Yasukazu Hamada is taking a robust line against pirates based in Somalia. In March, he ordered two SDF destroyers to the Gulf of Aden, an unprecedented move under the restrictive terms of the post-Second World War constitution. Tokyo is also planning to use its technical expertise more actively in United Nations peacekeeping, although many of the details are yet to be agreed....

(This article contains approximately 286 words)

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