Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the handover ceremony of the flag of the Golan Heights PKO (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF) Unit held at the Ministry of Defense.

After offering flowers at the memorial monument for the members of the Self-Defense Forces who lost their lives in the line of duty, the Prime Minister said in his address at the handover ceremony of the unit flag,

"It was 1996 when Japan first dispatched the units of the Self Defense Forces to UNDOF. Since then, about 1,500 staff in total had been working for a period of 17 years, which is the longest as the PKO activity Japan has engaged in. The high ability and discipline of the Self Defense Forces have been praised highly in the international community. Experiences obtained through the activities are passed on to PKO activities thereafter.
Japan will continue its active cooperation in realizing the peace and stability of the international community, by utilizing the accumulated achievements of the staff dispatched up until now, as a presence that makes the world even better."