Japan Wants In On Somali Pirate Battle Royal

Since the end of World War II, the Japanese have been barred from the “use of force to resolve international disputes,” but that’s all changed now, thanks to the Somali pirates and some legal maneuvering on behalf of their Parliament. The country’s warships can now actively engage Somali pirates threatening any commercial vessel, sort of. While it’s true they can fire at the boats, they’re not allowed to shoot at the pirates themselves so don’t expect any kind of dramatic SEAL-style rescues from Japan’s navy anytime soon. |BBC|