Mitsui OSK Lines, one of the biggest maritime logistics firms in Japan, said the 13,000-ton "Jasmine Ace" was shot at by men travelling on two high-speed boats about 900 kilometers (500 miles) east of Somalia.

Bullets hit the hull of the ship and shattered the windows of the pilot house but no one was injured and the vessel, carrying hundreds of used vehicles, was able to escape, it said.

"Our ship accelerated and zig-zagged for about 40 minutes in evasive action," the company said.

The attack came Sunday, about a week after Japan dispatched two military destroyers to the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden on a mission to protect Japanese cargo ships near the Suez Canal, which links Europe with Asia.

The controversial mission could bring the nation's armed forces to face combat abroad for the first time since World War II.

Countries including the United States and China have launched naval forces to fight piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, where there were more than 100 attacks on vessels last year.

Under Japan's pacifist constitution, troops can use force only for self-defence and to protect Japanese interests, defined as its nationals, ships and cargo.

Tokyo is preparing a new law that would widen the scope of force its military personnel can use against pirates and allow them to also protect foreign vessels and nationals.

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