Japan Press Weekly

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2017 March 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

GSDF concealed daily reports on South Sudan PKO

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on March 16 at a press conference held in the Diet building criticized Defense Minister Inada Tomomi for repeatedly making false statements regarding the existence of reports on the daily activities of Self-Defense Forces troops during the UN PKO in South Sudan, demanding the resignation of the minister.

In December 2016, the Defense Minister refused a journalist’s request to disclose the daily reports, claiming that the documents no longer existed. A few months later, however, the ministry announced that after a follow-up search, it found the reports in electronic form on computers at the Joint Staff Office.

However, it has been discovered that the GSDF had kept another set of digital copies which were deleted in February in order to maintain consistency with Inada’s assertion.

Shii said, “Inada’s statement concerning the reports has turned out to be a lie,” adding that Inada is unqualified to continue as a Cabinet minister.

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JCP lawmaker Kasai Akira on March 17 at a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee meeting proposed summoning top SDF officials as sworn witnesses in order to find out who ordered the cover-up.


Past related article:
> Concealed SDF reports imply need for withdrawal from South Sudan [February 8, 2017]