KURE (Kyodo) Two Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers set sail for Somalia on Saturday to patrol for pirates, embarking on the first overseas mission of its kind for Japan.

The 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton Samidare from the 8th Escort Division of the 4th Escort Flotilla left their base in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, after an afternoon ceremony attended by Prime Minister Taro Aso and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.

It will take the vessels two to three weeks to reach the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, so actual escort activities are unlikely to begin until early next month, Defense Ministry officials said.