Japan mulls sending troops to Sudan

Japan, keen to demonstrate its diplomatic, economic and security role in resource-rich Africa, is in the final stages of deciding whether to send troops to southern Sudan, government officials said yesterday.

The officials said a team of about 20 officials was likely to visit Sudan early next month to conduct a feasibility study on the contentious plan.

"Whether the Self-Defense Forces (military) can be dispatched to south Sudan depends on the local security situation to be examined by the research team," a Japanese government official said on condition of anonymity.