Tokyo, Nov. 6 (Jiji Press)--Japan decided Friday to extend the Self-Defense Forces' antipiracy mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia and intelligence-gathering mission for safe maritime navigation in the Middle East for a year until Nov. 19, 2027.

The government also decided to extend the deployment of SDF personnel to the headquarters of the Multinational Force and Observers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula until the end of November 2027.

"The fundamental causes of the piracy have not been resolved," Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told a press conference, adding that the SDF will continue working to ensure maritime security.

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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (third from right) arrives to attend a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Friday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]