There are more than 12,000 UN peacekeepers already in the
violence-plagued country [Samir Bol/AFP]
Licensed for combat, new contingent of Japanese peacekeepers allowed to use force to protect UN staff and aid workers.
A contingent of Japanese troops has landed in South Sudan - a
peacekeeping mission that critics say could see them embroiled in their
country's first overseas fighting since World War II.
The 350 Self-Defence Forces will
replace a previous contingent of Japanese peacekeepers who served in the United
Nations Mission in South Sudan, but did not have mandate to use force.
The new troops will be tasked with
engineering and construction in the capital, Juba.
For the first time since enacting a
law enshrining pacifism in its military 70 years ago, they will be allowed
to respond to urgent calls for help from UN staff and aid workers. There are
also plans to let them guard UN bases, which have been attacked during the
fighting.
The new troops will be tasked
with engineering and construction in the capital, Juba [Samir Bol/AFP]
Approved in 2015, the expanded capacity to use force was
opposed by some in Japan who feared it could entangle the country's military in
an overseas conflict and that it violates Japan's anti-war constitution.
But Japanese Prime Minister Shinto
Abe argued the broader military powers give Japan the ability to respond to
growing threats that include China's
growing military assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
There are more than 12,000 UN
peacekeepers already in the country, who have faced criticism for failing to
protect civilians.
In July, two Chinese peacekeepers
died and five others were wounded after their vehicle was struck with a
rocket-propelled grenade as fighting swept Juba.
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