A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer scared off apparent pirate vessels approaching a Singapore-registered tanker Friday off Somalia, the Defense Ministry said.
Although the Self-Defense Forces Law police-action provision under which the MSDF antipiracy mission is operating does not allow the flotilla to provide protection to non-Japan-related vessels, a ministry official said Friday's incident posed no violation because no weapons were used.
"What we did was within the limits of what was allowed, and we did what we could," the official told a press briefing.