Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Japanese Troops, Armed With New Mandate, Arrive in South Sudan

by VOA News

   A contingent of Japanese troops arrived in South Sudan on Monday to
   join U.N. peacekeepers, making them the first Japanese troops deployed
   abroad with a mandate to use force in over 70 years, since the end of
   World War II.

   The 350 soldiers are taking over from a previous contingent of Japanese
   peacekeepers who served in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan,
   but were not authorized to use force.

   Under new powers granted by the Japanese government, the soldiers will
   be allowed to respond to urgent calls for help from U.N. staff and aid
   workers.

   There are also plans for the new troops to protect U.N. bases, which
   have been attacked in the past, as well as assist with engineering and
   construction in the capital, Juba.

   Tsuyoshi Higuchi, a Japanese military information official, told
   Reuters that 67 troops arrived Monday morning. Another 63 are expected
   to land in the afternoon. The last of the 350 troops are scheduled to
   arrive on December 15.

   Japan policy

   Japan last year passed laws authorizing its military to participate in
   foreign conflicts, abandoning a longtime policy of fighting only in
   self-defense. Critics said the laws violate the country's anti-war
   constitution and could embroil Japan in overseas conflict.

   South Sudan has been mired in violence since clashes erupted in
   December 2013 between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his former
   deputy, Riek Machar.

   Fighting largely along ethnic lines has caused the economy to sink,
   killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 2 million, and
   created a dire humanitarian situation, with nearly 5 million believed
   to be severely food insecure.

   Machar returned to Juba this year after the sides reached a peace deal,
   but fresh fighting erupted outside the presidential palace on July 8
   while Machar was inside.