The government announced Tuesday that several hundred Ground Self-Defense Force engineers will be dispatched to South Sudan as part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.
The dispatch decision followed a rebel attack in the oil-rich Unity state on Saturday that claimed about 80 lives, including 60 rebels.
The government said it "comprehensively" considered various factors, including the unstable situation in South Sudan, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tsuyoshi Saito told a news conference Tuesday morning.