Japanese peacekeepers were ordered to carry weapons in South Sudan in July 2016 following the outbreak of fierce fighting, despite government claims their area was devoid of armed conflict, according to a Self-Defense Forces member and a senior Defense Ministry official.
More than 270 people were killed in clashes between South Sudanese government forces and rebels in the capital Juba at the time.
"We were right in the middle of a war," one of the 350 Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed to South Sudan confessed on Sunday. "I thought the troops would be completely destroyed."