| Summary/Abstract |
n January 2009, the Japanese government decided to join the multilateral-force counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the coast of Somalia and has since then developed into one of the most active and involved forces combatting maritime piracy. This special issue defines de-centering as a ‘process of moving away from a state of centering by building relationships with other partners’ through ‘security and defense consultations and dialogues’. This article argues that this counter-piracy mission involved many if not all of these components and can be seen as an important opportunity for Japan to deepen its understanding of forces and governments of countries and forces other than the United States in various dialogue and coordination forums, joint capacity building, and joint training exercises. While it is not argued that this will in any way weaken US–Japan relations or the role of the United States as Japan's main security guarantor, it demonstrates that Japan and the Self Defense Forces can become a security partner for countries in Europe or NATO. This potentially gives Japan more options whether to support or not support specific foreign policy decisions by the United States, a condition for de-centering.
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