Regarding the April 27 article "Piracy prompts Japan to open first overseas military base" as well as recent comments from readers about the article: I would like to bring out further information on this matter while clarifying some misleading arguments about the role of the international forces patrolling off Somalia. First of all, I would like to pay tribute to the role Japan is playing in securing one of the most important maritime lanes in the world. Japan's involvement and those of many other nations have had a real impact on the ground by curbing the number of pirate attacks. According to the International Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce, the first quarter of 2010 has seen 35 attacks, a sharp drop from the 102 attacks reported during the same period last year.
The presence of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force in our region is part of collective action by the international community to which more than 60 states from Africa, the Middle East, Asia Europe and North America are engaged. The International Maritime Organization spearheaded the call for action against these criminal activities.
As a result, U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1816 and 1838, on June 2 and Oct. 7, 2008, called on U.N. members to intervene to guarantee the safe passage of civilian vessels, including those conveying food aid to Somalia. The Djibouti Code of Conduct, adopted in January 2009 by 13 regional states, provides a strategy of collaboration among them to eradicate piracy.
Without doubt, the return of a stable and central government in Somalia is a necessity for eliminating this scourge. The countries of the region as well as the international community are fully committed to that. Nevertheless, one country remains brazen in its efforts to destabilize not only Somalia but also my country, as the U.N. Security Council clearly affirms through Resolution 1907 of December 2009. It has put forward a series of sanctions under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter. It is important that these sanctions be fully implemented against such behavior.
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