Two Somali men accused of the attempted hijacking of a Japanese-operated tanker off the coast of Oman pleaded guilty in Japanese court on Tuesday (January 15th), AFP reported.

The two were among four pirates who arrested in March 2011 by US Navy personnel when they allegedly attempted to seize the tanker armed with submachine guns.

On trial are Mohamed Urgus Adeysey and Abdinur Hussein Ali, who said they are from Somalia and are believed to be in their 20s or 30s, but reportedly said they were not certain of their own dates of birth. They are the first people to face trial under Japan's new anti-piracy law.

The men will hear the court's formal verdict on February 1st.

The two other suspects will go through a different trial process because they are believed to be juveniles under Japanese law.