SDF medics dispatched to Afghanistan may pave way to sending SDF combatants

Japan Press Weekly

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SDF medics dispatched to Afghanistan may pave way to sending SDF combatants

The DPJ-led government plans to send about 10 Self-Defense Force doctors and nurses to Afghanistan by the end of this year. There is a concern that a military unit will also be dispatched in the name of guarding the SDF medical unit.

Behind this move, there is the Kan administration's intention to increase the U.S. trust by responding to the U.S. government's strong demand for Japan's further efforts to mend the Japan-U.S. relations which were said to be undermined through the divisive national debate over the U.S. Futenma base relocation issue and the cancelation of the SDF refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.

On November 13 at the Japan-U.S. summit talks, Prime Minister Kan Naoto reported to visiting President Barack Obama about the dispatch plan.

The government explains that the dispatch of SDF medical officers will provide a needed contribution in personnel in missions of the International Security Assistance Force.

However, an official of the Democratic Party of Japan's security research council indicated the possibility of a military unit dispatch because the sending of medical officers requires logistics support and security.

Hasebe Takatoshi, Country Director for Afghanistan at the Japan International Volunteer Center, said, "Amid mounting protests against the presence of foreign militaries, the number of Taliban supporters is increasing. Under this circumstance, the SDF will likely be targeted by the Taliban."

International NGOs such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency working in Afghanistan are also apprehensive that the dispatch of the SDF medical unit may be an obstacle to their own humanitarian aid activities.

- Akahata, November 14, 2010