With the signing of a peace agreement in Sudan, ravaged by more than 20 years of civil war, the government is weighing plans to have the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations (PKO). Japan has received an informal request for cooperation from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who has recommended that the U.N. Security Council adopt a resolution mandating the dispatch of international peacekeepers to the African nation.
Government officials stress that Japan should respond positively to the request, given its declared commitment to international peace and security. It should respond carefully, though, by first examining specific roles to be played by the SDF, as well as security and other conditions on the ground. A hasty deployment decision should be avoided.
Legislation authorizing SDF participation in PKO activities was enacted in 1992 following the Persian Gulf War. Later in the same year, Japan dispatched a 1,200-strong engineering unit to the U.N. Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). So far the SDF has participated in eight PKO missions, including one established in 1999 under the U.N. Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET).