JAPAN PREPARING FOR MARCH MSDF DISPATCH TO HORN OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000155 SIPDIS STATE PM FOR AMBASSADOR MULL STATE PM/PPA FOR GLANCY, HOPKINS, FOSTER, AND O'KEEFE STATE FOR PM/ISO FOR FREDERICK STATE EEB/TRA FOR JOHN BYERLY AND STEPHEN MILLER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2019 TAGS: ELTN EWWT MOPS PBTS PHSA PINR PREL PTER MARR PGOV, JA SUBJECT: JAPAN PREPARING FOR MARCH MSDF DISPATCH TO HORN OF AFRICA Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor W. Michael Meserve; Reasons : 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Japanese government is preparing to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) vessels to the Horn of Africa and is aiming to have the ships on station by the time Prime Minister Taro Aso has his first meeting with the President, according to MOFA Foreign Policy Bureau Deputy Director General Masafumi Ishii. The ruling coalition anti-piracy project team on January 22 endorsed the dispatch of MSDF vessels to the Indian Ocean under existing legislative authority. The two parties also agreed to press for early enactment of a permanent Anti-Piracy Law, currently being drafted by the Cabinet Office. The government and ruling parties are studying a possible dispatch of P-3C patrol aircraft after passage of the new legislation. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The January 22 endorsement by the ruling coalition of an early dispatch of MSDF vessels to the Horn of Africa to conduct anti-piracy operations has set in motion concrete planning for Japanese operations in the region. MOFA Foreign Policy Bureau DDG Ishii told the CDA that the Prime Minister wants Japanese ships in the region by the time he has his first meeting with the new President, likely in March. In order to achieve this goal, he has instructed his government to begin detailed preparations. -------------- Ships First -------------- ¶3. (C) Maritime Staff Office (MSO) Director of Plans and Policy (N5) RADM Tomohisa Takei told the Embassy that he expects the Defense Minister to issue a preparatory order within the next two weeks that would enable the Japan Coast Guard and MSDF to begin planning and exercises. He estimated that it would take six weeks to prepare for the dispatch. RADM Takei said that the initial dispatch would likely be of one or more surface combatants with JCG boarding teams assigned to conduct inspections. Takei said many details, including whether to deploy the MSDF's Special Boat Unit operators to support the JCG teams, will need to be worked out in the coming weeks. -------------- Laws and Planes Later -------------- ¶4. (C) Ministry of Defense (MOD) Operations Division Director Masayoshi Tatsumi told the Embassy that Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada only acquiesced to the early dispatch after receiving assurances from the Prime Minister and ruling TOKYO 00000155 002 OF 002 parties that they would prioritize enactment of a permanent Anti-Piracy Law, currently being drafted by the Cabinet Office. Tatsumi added that the Minister and senior MOD officials remain concerned that current laws are insufficient to formulate effective rules of engagement for the MSDF and JCG. ¶5. (C) MOFA Maritime Security Division Director Michio Harada said that draft anti-piracy legislation would likely be approved by the Cabinet in March for submission later in current session. MOFA and ruling coalition officials say they plan to press for the dispatch of P-3Cs to the region following enactment of the law. Harada complained, however, that MOD continues to drag its feet on dispatching a survey team to the region to look at potential bed-down sites for Japanese aircraft. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Defense Minister Hamada appears to have finally given into political pressure to implement the Prime Minister's instructions to dispatch Japanese vessels to the Horn of Africa. It seems likely that MSDF vessels will be on station by mid-March. How broad their rules of engagement will be, and to what extent they will be authorized to coordinate actions with other anti-piracy coalition members, is still to be determined. The dispatch of P-3Cs is also far from assured given the possibility of a Diet dissolution before passage of the Anti-Piracy Law and continued resistance from the MOD leadership. ZUMWALT