History
After a failed Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces mission to stop North Korean spy ships that were in the territorial waters of the Noto Peninsula, the SBU was established with its headquarters based in Etajima, Hiroshima. The unit had conducted some covert training in Etajima without any public knowledge after its creation, including exercises on boarding tactics to enter ships. Training was completed in 2000, a year after the SBU was created. A reported ship that illegally entered Amami Ōshima was seen nearby, which led to the mobilization of the SBU. The ship, however, was said to have been scuttled while the unit waited for orders from the Japanese Defense Agency. The unit had made its existence known to the public during a training exercise, which involved the deployment of Howa Type 89-armed SBU operators via RHIBs and SH-60J helicopters.
When the unit was created, it had requested training with the US Navy SEALs, but had not been able to do so due to schedule problems. To resolve this, the SBU had requested training assistance from the SBS to help in founding the unit. However, they have lately been also trained by the Navy SEALs.
Due to the nature of their duties and responsibilities, an amendment had been passed to raise their salaries.
It was announced recently by Yasukazu Hamada that the SBU will be possibly deployed for its first mission to Somalia to engage in anti-Somali piracy operations. SBU operators had left Japan on March 14, 2009 deployed on board the Murasame-class destroyer JDS DD-106 Samidare and the Takanami-class destroyer JDS DD-113 Sazanami.
Prior to the SBU's overseas deployment to Somalia, the unit had practiced alongside Japan Coast Guard units in simulating a raid on a pirate vessel played by JCG officers without any warning shots fired by SBU operators off the coast of Kure, Hiroshima with a total of 250 people participating, 60 from the JCG.
It was suggested that the SBU could have participated in military operations in Iraq alongside the US military's naval special forces in case of a hostage rescue mission involving Japanese nationals.
Read more about this topic: Special Boarding Unit
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