Japan, S. Korea to 'co-host' PKO in Timor<\/p>\n
Yoichi Funabashi, The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo<\/p>\n
A contingent of 680 Self-Defense Forces (SDF) members will
\nleave this month for East Timor to engage in peacekeeping
\noperations (PKO). The accompanying machinery of 300 trucks and
\nbulldozers will be used to build roads and bridges.<\/p>\n
East Timor, with a population of 800,000, will become
\nindependent on May 20. It will go down in history as the first
\nterritory to establish independence in the 21st century. Since
\nits establishment in 1999, the United Nations Transitional
\nAdministration in East Timor (UNTAET) has been assisting with
\nnation-building efforts. About 8,000 UN workers are engaged in a
\nrange of activities, such as maintaining law and order, ensuring
\nmeans of transportation and overseeing construction projects.<\/p>\n
They will remain after independence to support the new
\ngovernment. Japanese PKO troops are also scheduled to stay for
\ntwo years, working in shifts of six months. Seven women are among
\nthe force. They are specialists in interpretation, medicine and
\ncommunications, among other things. It is the first time for
\nwomen to take part in Japanese PKO activities.<\/p>\n
The SDF personnel will be dispatched to four locations, one of
\nthem the enclave of Okusi in West Timor where 121 troops will be
\nstationed.<\/p>\n
An infantry division dispatched by the Republic of Korea
\n(South Korea) is in charge of keeping the peace in Okusi. SDF
\ntroops will provide logistical support for the South Koreans.
\nTheir first job will be to build prefab accommodation while
\nliving in tents. The South Koreans have offered to let the
\nadvance party share their lodging.<\/p>\n
Two of the SDF members will serve as interpreters. The rest
\nhave already undergone intensive Korean language lessons to
\nmaster basic conversation. South Korea will also provide Japanese
\ninterpreters. When Japan and South Korea are co-hosting World Cup
\nsoccer in their respective countries, it would be fair to say
\nthat in Okusi, the two nations will also be \"cohosting\" the PKO.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Mitsunori Habu, 42, commander of the 4th company to
\nbe dispatched to Okusi, said: \"Since we will be stationed at the
\nnational border, the work is psychologically stressful. Our main
\njob is to repair roads needed for the activities of the South
\nKorean troops. Initially, I expect we will have to partially rely
\non their support.\"<\/p>\n
The purpose of participating in UN-sponsored PKO activities is
\nfor Japan to contribute to making itself useful in working for
\npeace and stability, as befitting a responsible nation. Working
\nwith people from other countries in an environment of
\nmultilateral cooperation is a marvelous opportunity to advance
\nmutual understanding and trust and acquire an international
\nsense. The PKO efforts \"co-sponsored\" by Japan and South Korea
\nshould be seen in this light.<\/p>\n
As Defense Agency Director-General Gen. Nakatani put it, \"The
\npeople who take part in PKO activities are far more mature when
\nthey return home.\" The same logic applies to the SDF and Japan as
\na whole.<\/p>\n
Previously, dispatching troops for overseas peacekeeping
\noperations tended to trigger anxieties that Japan could be
\ndragged into war. Other countries, most notably China and South
\nKorea, worried that the deployment of SDF troops could lead to a
\nrevival of Japanese militarism. These fears proved to be
\ngroundless.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, public understanding and support gradually grew and
\nnow nearly 80 percent of the population supports the SDF's
\nparticipation in PKO activities. The deployment this time around
\nis welcomed by East Timor and surrounding countries.<\/p>\n
The government should take advantage of this situation and
\ndeal with the following issues in order to become more
\n\"mature.\"<\/p>\n
First, it should incorporate the activities of nongovernmental
\norganizations (NGOs) into the PKO program. A number of Japanese
\nNGOs have been active in East Timor for some time. The
\nOrganization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement
\n(OISCA) provides agricultural training; the Adventist Development
\nand Relief Agency (ADRA) Japan deals with distributing
\ninfrastructure; and the Services for the Health in Asian and
\nAfrican Region (SHARE) is concerned with health care and hygiene.
\nJapanese NGOs are not the only ones that are active there.<\/p>\n
When ADRA Japan built two markets in eastern and western Dili,
\nit relied on PKO workers from Bangladesh to do the groundwork.
\nSince PKO activities concern nation building at a wide range of
\nlevels, there are many areas that require NGOs and PKO workers to
\nwork side by side. How they can cooperate with each other needs
\nto be studied.<\/p>\n
Second, based on its experience in PKO duties in East Timor,
\nJapan should advance active PKO diplomacy in the United Nations.<\/p>\n
In the last decade, PKO activities under United Nations
\nauspices faced mounds of problems. Although things went well in
\nCambodia, Mozambique and El Salvador, the outcome was disastrous
\nin Somalia, Bosnia and Rwanda. When nations were embroiled in
\nethnic and religious conflicts, PKO activities that were set up
\nin the name of \"neutrality\" and \"symbolism\" had been baffled. In
\nthe rush to establish peace in Somalia and Bosnia, PKO personnel
\nforcibly intervened and failed miserably. But in Rwanda's case,
\nno country sent troops and the result was genocide. Like Kosovo
\nand East Timor, it has become customary for multinational forces
\nto first step in and secure peace before dispatching UN PKO
\ntroops.<\/p>\n
Increasingly, Japanese PKO activities have encountered
\nproblems, such as the nature of the PKO duties themselves and
\nwhen to allow use of force. These are the very same issues that
\nface today's UN PKO activities in general. What is the right way
\nto carry out PKO activities? We need to redefine and reinforce
\nthe PKO program. When Japan has its presence felt in PKO
\noperations, it will be able to express a greater say in
\ndiplomacy.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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