Japan to withdraw troops from South Sudan

Japan will no longer maintain peacekeeping forces in South Sudan after May, according to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.


The deployment of Tokyo's self-defense forces to the conflict zone, which allowed Japanese troops for the first time to engage in armed combat during "joint protection" of camps, will come to a close because conditions in the country's capital are now "relatively stable," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, according to The Japan Times.

But Kyodo news agency reported the decision was made abruptly due to the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan.

Tokyo's self-defense forces may also have not been properly informed of the top government decision ahead of the announcement.
  [upi.com]
10/3/17
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