Three weeks after the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti, Tokyo is preparing to dispatch Self-Defense Forces personnel to join the United Nations peacekeeping operation to assist in the country's reconstruction.
The dispatch is the first by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government on a U.N. peacekeeping mission and perhaps signals the start of more active engagement in U.N.-led operations, although the SDF elements are not expected to actually engage in keeping the peace.
Critics meanwhile said there are still many hurdles to overcome for Japan to truly increase its participation in real U.N. peacekeeping.
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