ABSTRACT
Since 2009, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) has been an active contributor to the counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, their first mission, which was not a United Nations Peacekeeping, minesweeping, or humanitarian and reconstruction mission. While this was a UN-sanctioned mission that was framed as a policing or law-enforcement mission rather than a military mission, it required close cooperation missions with EU Naval Forces, NATO, and US Forces, as well as dozens of other so-called independent deployers. This chapter argues that the counter-piracy mission has been a chance for Japan to deepen its understanding of forces and governments of countries other than the United States in various dialogue and coordination forums, joint capacity building, and joint training exercises. It shows that Japan and the Self-Defense Forces can become a security partner for countries in Europe or NATO. Potentially, this gives Japan more autonomy whether to actively support specific foreign policies or military missions by the United States and is hence, a step towards decentering.
