South Sudan mission: New security rules would compel Japanese forces to assist Chinese UN peacekeepers under attack
The Japanese government is making arrangements to expand the role of a Self-Defence Forces mission in South Sudan where its regional rival China has a large contingent of UN peacekeepers, government officials said.
Under the plan, the SDF personnel dispatched to the African country as part of UN peacekeeping operations as early as next May, would be newly allowed to go to the aid of other countries’ troops or UN staff under attack.
It could become the first case of practical application of Japan’s new security laws, which are expected to be enforced around the end of next March.
The controversial legislation enacted on Saturday, despite strong protests from opposition lawmakers and voters, allows the SDF to use force in defending allies under armed attack and expands the scope of its use of arms in UN peacekeeping operations.
SDF personnel operating in UN-led peacekeeping missions had been forbidden from rescuing either peacekeepers from other countries or civilian UN personnel who come under attack in areas other than those in which the SDF members are deployed.
According to the officials, the government plans to decide on new rules of engagement for the SDF by the end of this year to specify circumstances in which use of weapons are permitted.
SDF personnel will then be trained based on the new rules, and a new peacekeeping operation implementation plan for South Sudan including the newly added rescue duties will be approved by the Cabinet, the officials said.
Japan has sent SDF troops to South Sudan since 2012 to help develop infrastructure. The African country became independent from Sudan in 2011 following over two decades of civil war.
Announcement of the plan came as opinion polls showed Japanese public support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dropped in the days since his ruling coalition rammed through the legislation.
READ MORE: Japan's security bills: Key questions about its impact on Japanese society
A weekend poll taken by the top-selling, centre-right newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun showed that public support for the Abe government dropped four points to 41 per cent compared with a similar survey taken in mid-August.
Its disapproval rating rose six points to 51 per cent, the Yomiuri said.
A separate poll taken by the liberal Asahi Shimbun showed the government’s approval rating down one point to 35 per cent compared with a survey taken a week ago, while the disapproval rating rose three points to 45 per cent.
And the Nikkei business daily’s poll showed the approval rating fall six points to 40 percent, while disapproval rose seven points to 47 percent.
A majority of those polled voiced disapproval of what they said was the way the government bulldozed the legislation through Diet and complained that Abe had not offered persuasive and detailed arguments to justify the move.
The legislation had sparked angry street protests with tens of thousands taking part, and fuelled anger in China and South Korea.
Kyodo, Agence France-Presse
