Since the late 1990s, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has countered a myriad of 'outlaw' threats at sea including piracy, terrorism, the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and the threat posed by 'rogue states'. Japan's innovative strategy has transformed maritime security governance in Southeast Asia and beyond.

1. Introduction 2. Japan: An Innovative Power? 3. Defining Outlaws 4. The Root Causes of Outlaw Behaviour 5. North Korean 'suspicious ships' 6. Piracy in Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Aden 7. Counter-terrorism and Proliferation at Sea 8. Conclusion