TOKYO, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - Japan's parliament has passed a law on counter piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, expanding the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' powers in the region, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

The new measures authorize the SDF to protect foreign-flagged commercial ships unconnected with Japan, in addition to Japanese-flagged commercial ships, foreign ships with Japanese nationals or shipments on board, and others operated by Japanese firms, the agency said.

Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia's coast. According to the United Nations, Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008.

The United Nations has said that pirates collected $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners last year, while overall losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.

Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.