Japan seeking to set up a task force for international missions

Thanks to the Iraqi War, Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) achieved a historic breakthrough in dispatching troops overseas and realized its first participation in UN multi-national troops ever since the WWII. The country is becoming increasingly eager to "make contributions to the international community", so as to showcase its status as a political power on the international arena and take a step further towards its ambition to squeeze into the rank of permanent members of the UN Security Council.

On July 31, Japan's Defense Agency formulated a tentative draft in the hope to fundamentally strengthen the system of sending SDF overseas, China Youth Daily reported. In order to enable the SDF to participate in UN peace-keeping operations (PKO) promptly, the draft decided that a "Task Force for International Missions" should be set up in 2006 and should include a "PKO Center" and a "General Group". If the plan is realized, the force will be able to send peace-keeping men to two sites in the world simultaneously.

The draft is spelt out under the background that Japan will dish out its new Defense Guidelines at this yearend and overseas SDF activities will be promoted as a share of SDF's "own job" according to the SDF Law. The "Task Force" will be put under the direct leadership by a "central emergency group" led by the Director-General. Set up along with the new Defense Guidelines, the "emergency group" has under its control 4,000 to 5,000 men in special forces reacting to terrorist attacks and militants, in quick-reaction troops and in parachute troops on top of the above-mentioned task force for international missions.

The "General Group" will have some 900 men to be responsible for order keeping and truce supervision, both are peace-keeping tasks currently not shouldered by the SDF. Differentiated with this troop, a force of logistical support will be set up for the Task Force to be responsible for facility construction and water supply. The logistical force will be equipped by an engineer team, a hygiene team and a helicopter team.

The Defense Agency's plan is that, if necessary, a 1,300-men troop will be formed by the "General Group" and the "Logistical Force", and the number dispatched may reach 2,600 if tasks are carried out at two places at the same time.

Since the Article 18 of the Japan-made draft on PKO-related UN cooperation stipulated that the staff number participating in UN peace-keeping may not exceed 2,000 and the participation is only allowed under five principles including a "truce agreement", to realize the Defense Agency's plan it is necessary to revise the law or formulate a permanent draft on overseas troop dispatch.

In pace with this plan, the Japanese government is busying itself with the formulation of a permanent law to free the SDF from resorting to a certain special law each time it joins a multi-national troop.

By People's Daily Online