Japan considers deploying troops for UN mission in south Sudan

Japan is to dispatch a survey team to South Sudan on Saturday for a possible deployment of troops to the peacekeeping operations in the nascent African nation, local media reported. Thirty officials from the Japanese military, the cabinet office and the foreign and defense ministries will stay in South Sudan for a week to gather information about local needs, the security situation and the means of transportation for supplies. Japan was considering sending about 300 troops to help repair or build infrastructure in the world''s newest country. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in New York on Wednesday that Japan was eager to contribute to nation-building efforts in South Sudan, Japanese news agency (Kyodo) reported. On July 9, South Sudan proclaimed independence from Sudan after decades of conflict.