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JPC Activities & Events

Visit to the JPC by the Philippine Military Officers

 On 11 November 2014, Colonel Arturo Jose G. ORTICIO Jr. and 6 of staff officers from the General Headquarters, the Armed Forces of the Philippines made a visit to the Japan Peacekeeping Operation Center (JPC), the Joint Staff College, for the purpose of observing education and training for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities of our country.

 Following an introduction of the JPC, there was a constructive discussion on lessons learned from our disaster relief activities, and the framework of the cooperation of the Asia-Pacific region in disaster responses.

 Education, training and maintaining readiness for disaster relief activities are one of the significant challenges for the Philippines and Japan, both of which had affected by many natural disasters. Lessons learned from disaster relief activities in Leyte Island, which had suffered large-scale damage from the typhoon Haiyan, will contribute to our operations in the future.

 The JPC will continue to contribute toward the disaster relief activities, given a high level of expectation of Japan’s leading commitment to this field in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Exchange of Greetings

  • Colonel ORTICIO Jr.Receiving an Introduction of the JPC

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Participation in the CIMIC course held by NORDEFCO in Denmark

Dr. Ken Nakabayashi, Executive Research Fellow, the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), participated in the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) course held by the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) group at the Danish Army Intelligence Center in Varde Barracks, Denmark between 5 and 12 October 2014.

 The course provided a basic understanding of the definitions, objectives, components, principle tasks, and organization of the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC). In addition, experienced instructors delivered lectures including “CIMIC Tactics, Techniques and Procedures”, “Cross Cultural Awareness and gender issues”, “World Food Program (WFP): Areas of Possible Cooperation with the Military”, “Role of International Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations in international or peace support operations and CIMIC relations with civil organisations”, “CIMIC lessons learned from former and on-going operations” and “Negotiation Techniques”. All of these subjects are essential for personnel at the scene of action.

 We must decide on the best methods to implement CIMIC in our international peacekeeping operations, including international disaster relief activities. We can no longer afford to debate whether the military and civilian organizations should cooperate with each other. The evidence is clear that CIMIC is essential to peacekeeping operations. “CIMIC across Multiple Organizations” and “Strengthening the Capacity of CIMIC” are items included on the agenda of the World Humanitarian Summit to be held in 2016, suggesting that CIMIC is a significant matter we must face in current peacekeeping operations.

 The JPC will hereafter bring up “CIMIC” as a topic of discussion for the 2014 symposium in order to deepen our understanding of CIMIC in peacekeeping operations. We will build a seminar focused on “CIMIC” in order to disseminate this information as widely as possible. The knowledge and experience learned from the CIMIC course in Denmark will contribute to building this seminar and will promote our education efforts at the JPC.

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JPC Instructor Visits Kenya

Captain Hideki Hayashi, Chief of the Training and Research Office, Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), was a guest lecturer at the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) in Kenya from the fifth to ninth of October, 2014.

 Located in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, the IPSTC was established in 2001 and has become the leading regional center among the eastern African countries, including Sudan, the South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Madagascar, to educate personnel who will be engaged in peacekeeping operations (PKO) or peace-building activities. Recognizing the importance of peace implementation for development, Japan is providing support for the PKO centers in African countries, including the IPSTC, in order to improve PKO capabilities and to help secure regional stability. This was the third time the JPC was invited to participate in the IPSTC’s training programs.

 The theme of his lecture was “Maritime Operations and the Protection of Civilians.” The course, “Protection of Civilians”, had twenty-seven students (including ten females) from the militaries, police forces and civilian organizations of ten countries including Kenya, Brazil, Burundi, the Comoros, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, the South Sudan and Mali. His lecture focused on the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution authorizing the on-going anti-piracy activities off the coast of Somalia, and the protection of civilians based on the UN standard materials. The lecture was particularly relevant for the students since both of these are currently critical issues confronting these countries and the UN mission in the region.

 Brigadier General R. G. Kabage, Director of IPSC asked the JPC to provide lectures on JSDF lessons learned from our disaster relief operations as a part of their course on “Management of Disaster Relief Operations” which will open next year. The JPC will support the IPSC in various fields, from creating education curriculums to delivering lectures, whenever we receive an official request. The JPC will make an utmost effort to strengthen the cooperation among the PKO centers across the world.

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JPC Research Officer Attended the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group’s PKO Workshop

The Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC) sent Lieutenant Colonel Hiroaki Takano, a JPC research officer, to the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Expert Working Group’s Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Workshop held in Seoul, South Korea between 24 and 26 September 2014.
 ADMM-Plus was established in October 2010 as a new framework for ASEAN defense ministers’ and eight non-ASEAN defense ministers, including Japan’s, to meet. ADMM-Plus encourages and promotes ministry-level strategic dialogue and strengthens defense cooperation among the member countries militaries. ADMM-Plus provides six expert workshops throughout a three-year cycle, including: 1) maritime security, 2) military medicine, 3) counter-terrorism, 4) peacekeeping operations (PKO), 5) landmine disposal, and 6) humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The main topics of the expert workshops in 2014 were as follows:
(1) Explanation and discussion of recent policies, including urgent issues facing the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).
(2) Discussion of PKO related operations in alliance with the member countries.
(3) Policies to exchange and share information between member countries.
(4) Creating a database to share PKO information and materials among member countries.

 There was an active exchange of the delegates’ opinions at the DPKO. To achieve the proposed steps and measures, there was a high level of expectation that the “Plus” countries, including Japan, will provide support in the form of financing.

 The JPC will promote to the regional security environment by contributing education to PKO personnel in the Asia-Pacific region, deploying units to UN PKO, and tightening cooperation with other PKO centers in various countries in order to make a broad spectrum contribution.

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Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center visited JPC

On 10 September 2014, Senior Colonel Hoang Kim Phung, Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center and three of his staff officers visited the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), Joint Staff College.

 This was the second time that Vietnamese military officers visited the JPC; the first was during their participation in the United Nations Staff Officers' Course (UNSOC) held at the JPC in March 2013, just two months before the Vietnam Peace Keeping Center was established in May.

 Unlike PKO centers in other countries, the mission of the Vietnam Peace Keeping Center covers various topics, including the selection of which unit to deploy, equipment procurement, personnel affairs, supply procedures, methods to establish a leased line from the center to a dispatched unit, the United Nations memorandum of understanding on cooperation, and the agreement on status of forces.

  As a counterpart of the JPC in the education/training field, the Vietnam Peace-Keeping Center is in the same stage of development which the JPC was in throughout 2010 and the first half of 2011. At this stage they are developing the overseas peacekeeping operations (PKO) training curriculum and are studying operations for each training course.

 The JPC introduced the visiting delegation to the success in curriculum construction the JPC was able to achieve, including the essential elements of the curriculum and the critical points the organization faced. Colonel Hoang Kim Phung and his staff officers asked many questions and it was a very productive meeting.

 Though Vietnam deployed several staff officers to the South Sudan this year, they have had little experience in United Nations (UN) PKO, and therefore depend on support from other countries to provide the education and training of their staff officers, engineers and medical personnel if they should be required to deploy to PKO. The JPC sincerely hopes our support and friendly cooperation with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center will contribute toward the strengthening of the relationship between Vietnam and Japan, thereby improving the security environments of our two countries.

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Director of JPC Participated in IAPTC.

Colonel Fumiyuki Kobashi, Director of the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), participated in the annual meeting of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Center (IAPTC) in Sentul, Indonesia, 22-26 June 2014. Under the theme of “Toward a Global Training Architecture,” participants engaged in a lively discussion about the current status of the training programs necessary to conduct peacekeeping missions and the challenges they face. In the “Ideas Bazaar,” Colonel Kobashi introduced the activities of the JPC to the other participants.

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JPC Research Officer Participated in UN TOT.

Lieutenant Colonel Hiroaki Takano, a Research Officer in the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), participated in the United Nations Training of Trainers (TOT) in Beijing, China, 16-27 June 2014. In the course, 33 participants from PKO centers all over the world learned training methods and conducted a staff officer exercise using UN standard materials. Participation in the course is helpful for the JPC’s future training courses, which are scheduled to be open to foreign military personnel.

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Director of JPC Attended the AAPTC Annual Meeting in Nepal.

Colonel Fumiyuki Kobashi, Director of Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center (JPC), attended the 5th annual meeting of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centers (AAPTC) in Nepal between 1 April 2014 and 4 April 2014. AAPTC consists of the training and research institutions for peacekeeping and peace-building operations in the Asia-Pacific region, and has 17 member states including Japan. In the annual meeting, participants discussed how to promote exchange of instructors and students and train experts on protection of civilians in the region.
 The next AAPTC annual meeting is schedulued to be held in New Zealand in May 2015.

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