TOKYO, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Japan's powerful House of Representatives on Friday passed through a second vote an antipiracy law enabling the expansion of Self-Defense Forces' mission in waters off pirates-infested Somalia.

    Compared with the existing provisions, the law featured relaxed restrictions on use of weaponry and objects of protection. The new law is expected to take effect in late July, according to government officials.

    LEGAL BASIS

    Japan has sent two destroyers and two P-3C patrol aircraft to waters off Somalia, based-on the "maritime police action provision", which does not need to get a nod from the Diet and therefore bypass the opposition parties.

    However, the current deployment was viewed as "an interim measure", which restricted SDF's autonomy to protect commercial ships under Japanese flag or carrying Japanese nationals from pirates under the Self-Defense Forces Law.

    In dealing with the pirates, the Self-Defense Forces Law restricted the use of weapons to circumstances that the SDF are being attacked. If the pirates approaches Japanese commercial ships regardless of SDF's warnings, the SDF will be left in an awkward situation on deciding whether to open fire.

    The new antipiracy law, which expanded the Self-Defense Forces (SDF)'s protection mission to any commercial ship from pirates regardless of a Japanese connection, and allows Japan's destroyers to fire at pirates in case of they ignore repeated warnings and deemed as dangerous, provides opportunity to amplifying Japan's role in solving the pirate problem off Somalia.

    HIDDEN CONTENT

    The introduction of the new bill is necessary and reasonable considering the above-mentioned constraints, but it is worth noting the hidden content of the law.

    The law stipulates that if the defense ministry recognize the threat of piracy is beyond the capacity of the Coast Guard, the Prime Minister will be authorized to order the dispatch of the SDF. This means that as long as the threat of piracy occurred overseas, the Japanese government is entitled to dispatch SDF at all times, while the Diet is largely left ignored.

    Although the process is the same as the dispatch under the "maritime police action provision" of the SDF, however, the provision limit the SDF's dispatch only to Japanese territorial waters in case of emergency situation. By contrast, the foothold of the antipiracy law is sending SDF overseas.

    The relaxation of SDF's use of weaponry also provides a basis that their action could be relaxed again if there appears to be reasonable grounds, which is apparently against Japan's war-renouncing Constitution.

    DIFFERENT VOICES

    The Japanese government stressed that there are a large number of Japanese ships passing through the Somali waters and it is necessary to defend Japanese nationals and also to make international contributions.

    The majority of public has given understanding to the government. The Cabinet Office in March conducted a public opinion survey, in which 63.2 percent of respondents support dispatch of SDF.

    Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the main opposition, is not object to the anti-pirate missions, but strongly urge the dispatch of SDF must be approved by the Diet.

    The Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party are opposed to the dispatch of the SDF, insisting the anti-pirate mission should be conducted by the Coast Guard.

    The two parties also believe that the relaxation of weaponry use under the anti-piracy law is an extremely dangerous move.

    The English-language Japan Times said the bill's swift passage signals shift in attitude toward SDF's overseas role.

    "The core issue with sending the SDF overseas didn't receive much attention in the Diet," the newspaper quoted Motofumi Asai, president of the Hiroshima Peace Institute, a research center at Hiroshima City University as saying.

    The newspaper said other key events, including the deployment of Air Self-Defense Force units to Cambodia in 1997 and the dispatch of the Ground Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq in 2004, created serious clashes in the Diet between the ruling and opposition camps.

    Analysts said the argument reflected concern about Japan's attitude towards its war past and the unyielding voices advocating revision of the pacifist constitution in Japanese political circles. Peace-loving people in Japan and the international community also worry that Japan will gradually sway from the direction of peace and development.