Japan Press Weekly

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2011 November 2 - 8 [SDF]

Stop sending SDF to PKO activities in South Sudan

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Japanese government recently decided to dispatch the Ground Self-Defense Force to U.N. peacekeeping operations in South Sudan. Whatever the reasons, sending the SDF abroad is in violation of the Japanese Constitution.

The GSDF will carry out activities in Juba, the capital of South Soudan. In this newly independent African nation in August, hundreds of residents were killed in large-scale conflicts in the eastern part of the country. On October 29, more than 75 citizens in the northern part of the country died in a military clash between the government and the rebels. The GSDF dispatch to South Sudan under these circumstances goes against the official government position that the dispatch of the SDF abroad requires local safety as a precondition. However, the Japanese government claims that nothing will affect the GSDF missions in Juba because it is far from the areas in which frequent armed conflicts are taking place. This shows the government’s intention to turn a blind eye to South Sudan’s unstable situation.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1996, the basis for the U.N. PKO in South Sudan, allows the use of weapons by stating that the UNMISS (the United Nations Mission in South Sudan) is authorized to use all necessary means to protect civilians. However, under present Japanese law, the SDF troops joining the PKO activities are allowed to use weapons only in self-defense. The SDF participation in the UNMISS may open the way for easing this restriction.

Many foreign countries have trust in Japan because it has a Constitution which renounces war. If the Japanese government sends SDF troops overseas and allows them to use force by trampling on the Constitution, such a move will increase tensions in relations with other nations and harm Japan’s reputation in the international community.