August 25, 2016

Defense Minister Inada Tomomi at a press conference on August 24 announced that Japan will commence training for its troops to fulfill their new overseas missions stipulated in the controversial security-related legislation.

The government at first intended to move into an operational phase of the eleven laws when the legislation came into force in March. However, the ruling coalition put off SDF training in fear of voters reacting to the issue in the July Upper House election. In fact, both the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komei Party did not offer any specifics concerning the legislation during the election campaign. Only after the election was over did they unveil the plan to conduct SDF training exercises based on the security laws. They successfully deceived voters.

A unit including the Ground SDF fifth Infantry Regiment stationed in Aomori will go to South Sudan in November to engage in UN peacekeeping operations. In preparation for its dispatch to East Africa, the unit will practice emergency rescue drills of NGO staff and PKO-participating foreign military personnel under attack. The unit will also train itself to jointly protect local camps with other countries.

According to the Defense Ministry’s internal document which Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Kasai Akira obtained, the training exercises will take place assuming some SDF members will be killed and others injured in addition to the killing of militant groups by SDF memebers.

South Sudan has been in a state of civil war. Pro-government and anti-government forces are all active there. They also use many child soldiers and attack UN facilities and people working on aid activities.

The dispatched personnel under such circumstances may have to step across the conventional “self-protection” line and use weapons against armed combatants, forcing SDF officers in the field to make a difficult quick decision to engage or not in light of the existing Constitution.

Following the PKO training exercises, Japan-U.S. joint military training exercises will take place with a view to use the right to collective self-defense abroad. In the joint drills, the use of SDF air-to-air refueling aircraft to supply fuel to US aircraft is a focus of attention.

Up until now, Japan ostensibly conducted military training exercises for the “defense of Japan”. From now on, the country will be able to conduct drills providing logistics support on a global basis to the United States on the assumption that the U.S. is under armed attack or has launched a preemptive attack.

The Maritime SDF materials revealed during a Diet discussion by JCP legislator Nihi Sohei in August last year state that the SDF will be able to carry out forcible ship inspections, participate in minesweeping operations, and provide convoy to U.S. aircraft carriers as well as giving logistics support to foreign militaries.

“To be honest, I don’t want the SDF to ‘protect’ us,” said Hasebe Takatoshi, secretary general of the Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC), in regard to the new SDF mission to rescue NGO staff abroad.

He explained that gunshots are sporadically heard even around UN-related facilities in the South Sudanese capital city of Juba, and sexual violence has also been increasing. “International NGOs in regions of conflict believe it is important to not carry weapons and to keep themselves away from armed troops,” said Hasebe.

By doing these, NGOs try to avoid being identified as being with military personnel in order to keep doing humanitarian work in disputed areas overseas. Hasebe added, “Military support is not the only support Japan can give.”

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The Defense Ministry on August 22 announced that it will conduct drills simulating rescue of Japanese nationals in Djibouti where the SDF participating in anti-piracy missions in waters off Somalia has its base.

The government said that the training will use an Air SDF tanker transport aircraft which has optimal cruising range and will be conducted to improve the SDF’s rapid deployment capabilities outside Japan.

Past related articles:
> Gov’t should not expose SDF troops in South Sudan to risk of ‘killing and being killed’ [July 12, 2016]
> Defense Ministry draws up plan to kill ‘enemies’ abroad [March 1, 2016]
> JCP Kasai criticizes gov’t plan to expand SDF base functions in Djibout [January 13, 2016]
> Maritime SDF documents conflict with gov’t argument regarding constitutionality of war bills [August 5, 2015]