TOKYO - Japan is considering sending a naval mission to guard its cargo ships in waters off Somalia, where a number of vessels have been seized by pirates, lobby groups said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Taro Aso late Tuesday met representatives of the Japan Foundation and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation, which proposed that the country dispatch a naval mission to the area to guard Japanese ships.

"Prime Minister Aso said the government should start studying measures soon," a Japan Foundation spokesman said. "He said it would be too late after Japanese ships and crew members get attacked."

Armed Somali pirates hijacked a Japanese ship in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, defying several international warships that are patrolling the volatile waters.

The 20,000-ton "Chemstar Venus" was taken with its 23 crew -- 18 Filipinos and five South Koreans -- on board.

As of November 3, at least 10 vessels with Japanese owners or links to Japanese companies had been attacked this year in waters off Somalia, according to the Japanese Shipowners' Association.

But it will not be easy for Japan, which is officially pacifist after its defeat in World War II, to dispatch its military overseas. The government needs to create a special law that would allow such a mission.

Any military activities are controversial in Japan, which was forced to renounce the right to wage war.

Over in Seoul, South Korean media said the Defence Ministry wanted to send at least one destroyer to the Gulf of Aden. If parliament approves the measure, ships would likely be deployed early next year.

In the past few weeks, Somali pirates have captured a South Korean cargo vessel and held hostage South Korean sailors who were part of the crew of a Japanese ship.

Shipping groups worldwide have reported a new surge in hijackings off Somalia and the International Maritime Bureau said pirates based in the lawless African nation were now "out of control".

- AFP/CNA/ir