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)