About International Peace Cooperation Activities
International Peace Cooperation Activities are the operations in which the international community cooperates to improve the international security environment (National Defense Program Guidelines for FY2011 and beyond [II. Basic Principles of Japan’s Security]). Although these activities used to be classified as subordinate missions, in 2007, they came to be positioned as primary missions, along with national defense and the maintenance of public order.
The MOD and the SDF are proactively contributing to international peace cooperationt acivities based on the International Peace Cooperation Law, the International Disaster Relief Law and other Special Measurement Laws. Until today, the MOD and the SDF have undertaken international peace cooperation duties such as UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), international disaster relief operations to respond to large-scale disasters overseas. Other activities conducted by the MOD and SDF were based on the former Act Concerning Special Measures on Humanitarian Reconstruction Assistance in Iraq; and activities based on the former Anti-terrorism Special Measures Act, and the former Replenishment Support Special Measures Act.
UN Peacekeeping operations (PKO)
UN Peacekeeping operations (PKO) are undertaken by the UN to solve world conflicts. Traditional duties of the operations include Truce Monitoring and Disengagement Observation by peacekeeping forces (formed by each country’s unit) as well as Truce Monitoring by Truce Observation Group (generally formed by unarmed military officers). With financial resources as well as human resources, Japan is cooperating with these UN-centered international community’s efforts seeking peace and stability to offer support suitable for Japan’s international status and responsibility.
International Emergency Relief Activities
In a situation that a natural disaster occurs or a risk of such disaster exists in foreign regions, particularly in developing regions, if affected country requests, Japan will send its SDF units to implement international cooperation activities based on consultation between the foreign and the defense ministers. The SDF is capable of cooperating on medical, transport and water delivery as emergency relief activities. Of those activities, what kind of activities the SDF will conduct depends on respective circumstances such as scale and state of disasters as well as request details of affected governments and international organizations.