TOKYO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan will send Self-Defense Forces on the anti-piracy mission off Somalia under a new law that entered into force on Friday.

    At a cabinet meeting Friday, the government decided that the legal basis for Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) operations willbe switched from the maritime police action provision of the Self-Defense Force (SDF) Law to the new anti-piracy law, which was enacted on June 19.

    The government endorsed anti-piracy operations for the one-year period through July 23, 2010.

    Following the cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the SDF to counter piracy under the new law.

    Under the new law, Japan's MSDF destroyers will be allowed to open fire on pirate boats in case of they ignore repeated warnings and deemed as dangerous.

    The law stipulates the SDF will be ordered to counter piracy only when coast guard officials cannot fend off pirates, and expands the SDF's protection mission to any commercial ship from pirates, regardless of a Japanese connection.

    On March 14, Japan dispatched two MSDF destroyers on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, marking Japan's first overseas policing action under the SDF law.

    On July 6, the MSDF destroyers of the 4,550-ton Harusame and the 3,500-ton Amagiri left their bases in Japan and headed for the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden to take over escort duties from the two currently in operation.

    The MSDF destroyers have escorted a total of 121 vessels over 41 occasions since the start of their operations on March 30.