Special Boarding Unit

Special Boarding Unit
Official pin badge of the SBU
Active	March 27, 2001 - Present
Country	Japan
Branch	Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Type	Special Forces
Role	Special operations Direct Action Unconventional Warfare Counter-Piracy operations Domestic and International Counter-Terrorism
Size	Classified
Garrison/HQ	Etajima, Hiroshima
Nickname(s)	SBU TKI (In Japanese)
Engagements	Battle of Amami-Ōshima (Did not intervene) Counter-piracy operations in Somalia
Commanders
Current commander	Captain Yanagi Nobuo
Notable commanders	Captain Toru Yamaguchi
Insignia
Identification symbol	SBU Pin Badge

The Special Boarding Unit (特別警備隊, Tokubetsukeibitai^?) is a special forces unit established by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces on March 27, 2001 in response to a previous spy ship incursion that occurred on the Noto Peninsula in 1999. The unit was created to perform similar roles to those undertaken by American Navy SEALs and the British SBS. Its structure is based on that of the SBS. They are based in Etajima, Hiroshima.

Their roles involve maritime anti-terrorist duties, including operations where arms are known to be involved. However, their duties and responsibilities overlap with those of the Special Security Team, the Japan Coast Guard's counter-terrorist unit.

Since the SBU is a special forces unit, any kind of matters regarding acquisition of information on personnel, training and weapons are forbidden since they are highly classified. Its operators are seen publicly wearing balaclavas to protect their identities.

After a failed Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces mission to stop North Korean spy ships that were in Japanese territorial waters off the Noto Peninsula, the SBU was established with its headquarters 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 in 2007 during a training exercise, which involved the deployment of Howa Type 89–armed SBU operators via RHIBs and SH-60J helicopters.