Japan approves UN mission plan in South Sudan

The Japanese government on Tuesday approved a plan to dispatch a Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) engineering unit to South Sudan as part of a UN peacekeeping mission and to help improve infrastructure there. According to the plan, the engineering unit, consisting of up to 330 personnel, will operate in the capital Juba and its vicinity to rebuild roads, airport and other infrastructures starting from January till the end of October, the Foreign Ministry said. The plan was adopted at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. The first unit comprising about 200 personnel will be dispatched by March to build camps for the engineering unit, and the second unit about 300 in April or later for full-fledged operations. Furthermore, Japan will dispatch a separate unit consisting of up to 40 GSDF personnel to South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, to support the engineering unit in the areas of transportation and supply, as well as coordinate with the relevant bodies such as the UN and South Sudanese government agencies, the ministry said. In addition, the government has already sent two GSDF officers to the UN mission headquarters in Juba for planning and coordinating engineering activities. South Sudan gained independence in July after a long civil war with North Sudan. "Japan recognizes that peace and stability of South Sudan is important for the peace and stability of Africa, and that support for the nation-building and stability of South Sudan is one of the significant challenges for which the international community needs to work on cooperatively," the statement said. In response to a UN request, Tokyo decided on the dispatch last month after a government survey team in October concluded that the situation in Juba is stable. Japan's military is limited to defensive missions under the country's pacifist constitution and its overseas operations have been largely restricted to refueling, airlifting and humanitarian activities.