[Provisional Translation]

The Government of Japan has dispatched a Self-Defense Force (SDF) engineering unit, comprised of approximately 400 personnel, to participate in the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), which has to date been engaged in cooperative efforts for nation-building in South Sudan, a nation that gained independence only recently in 2011.

Since mid-December, the local security situation in South Sudan has rapidly deteriorated due to armed attacks by anti-government forces. Amidst this situation, the Government received a request from UNMISS Headquarters to provide ammunition, which is in short supply, to the forces of the Republic of Korea (ROK) stationed in Bor, Jonglei State in South Sudan, in preparation for the use of armed force to protect both ROK forces, the refugees, and others who have gathered within the encampment. The type of ammunition in short supply is the same type used by SDF units. Given that among all the UNMISS units currently stationed in South Sudan it is only SDF that units possess stockpiles of the same type of ammunition, it would hamper the units' capacity to protect the lives of the ROK unit members and refugees if a contribution in kind were not to be made by Japan. For this reason, the Government has decided to approve the provision in kind of the required 10,000 bullets to the United Nations, based on the request that was received.

This contribution in kind is being implemented as a part of UNMISS activities, in which Japan also cooperates, in view of an urgent situation that requires prompt action in order to protect the lives of both the personnel in the ROK units engaged in engineering works, and refugees. Given the urgent necessity and the highly humanitarian nature of the situation, the Chief Cabinet Secretary issued a statement that the Three Principles on Arms Exports do not apply to this case, with the provision of ammunition being implemented under the "contribution in kind" framework set forth in Article 25 of the Law Concerning Cooperation for United Nations Peace-keeping Operations and Other Operations, based on the strict condition that the ammunition provided will only be used by ROK units for the purpose of self-protection and the protection of refugees and others, and that the ammunition will be managed by UNMISS, with strict measures in place to ensure that it is not diverted to organizations outside UNMISS.