Peace Keeping Operations

Prior to 1992, Japan's contribution to peace keeping operations (PKOs) was financial. This was due to the restriction of Article 9 in the Japanese constitution. The restrictions on self defense forces were carried out exactly. In Lebanon in 1958, for example, the Japanese government refused to send any of the Defense Forces to support a United Nations Observer Group, citing Japanese Municipal Law, which is a more detailed explanation of what Article 9 entails.

In the late 1980s Japan was being urged domestically and internationally to contribute non-monetary aid where needed in the world. This eventually led to the PKO Cooperation Bill. Passed in the Diet on June 15, 1992, the bill allowed the Japanese Self Defense Forces to join PKOs, including peace keeping forces (PKFs). According to this Bill, the following conditions had to be met to allow Self Defense forces to join PKOs:

  1. Cease-fire agreement between the warring parties

  2. Official agreement from the Diet to participate

  3. Strict observance of a neutral position by the warring parties

  4. Limitation on the usage of weapons except in the case of self defense

  5. Withdrawal from the PKO upon United Nation consensus or upon the violation of the Principle of Neutral Position by warring parties

In the Diet, other parts of the Bill are still being considered. The following major points are still being debated.

  1. Participation in PKO must be halted until the establishment of law in the region of conflict

  2. Participation in PKO must be approved by the Diet

For these reasons, the Japanese PKO task will be limited to logistical support, medical care, and transporting of goods and services.

Since the passing of the PKO Cooperation Bill, Japan has been involved in United Nation PKOs. After the Gulf War, mine sweepers of the Japanese Marine Defense Force were sent to remove mines from the Persian Gulf. This was the first time that any part of the Self Defense Forces had a mission in another country. Since then, Japan has sent Self Defense Forces on other PKOs:

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