Japan will soon send a team to South Sudan to check the security situation in the country where Ground Self-Defense Force elements are deployed, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said Tuesday.
The move follows recent clashes between the militaries of South Sudan and Sudan. GSDF personnel are currently in South Sudan's capital of Juba as part of U.N. peacekeeping operations to help build infrastructure.
"We are deeply concerned about the rising military tensions," Tanaka said, noting the Defense Ministry will "swiftly compile its view" on how to respond to the clashes.