These are overseas dispatches (Heisei -JSDF deployments outside of Japan) of the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...

(JSDF). Japan sought active international cooperation beyond the framework of previous activities due to the alleviation of tensions after the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

in 1989 and the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

that broke out at the beginning of 1991. This began the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

Law

This is the underlying law that triggered the formation. 2006 (Heisei 18) In accordance with the revised Self-Defense Forces Act (Article 3-2 ), which was enacted on December 15, etc., overseas dispatching was upgraded from an incidental mission to an original mission. *September 1990 -

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

*1991 (Heisei 3) January -

*December 1991 (Heisei 3) -

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

. *1992 (Heisei 4) -The United Nations Peace Act (International Peace Cooperation Act / PKO Cooperation Act) was enacted. Law on the dispatch of international emergency relief teams (International Emergency Relief Team) . *1993 (Heisei 5) -

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

withdrew from the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperatio ...

Rodong-1 The Hwasong-7} () is a single- stage, mobile liquid propellant medium-range ballistic missile developed by North Korea. Developed in the mid-1980s, it is a scaled-up adaptation of the Soviet R-17 Elbrus missiles, more commonly known by its NATO ...

quasi-

Medium-range ballistic missile A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range (aeronautics), range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. D ...

test (North Korea nuclear issue). *1994 (Heisei 6) - The revised Self-Defense Forces Act was enacted. *March 1996 (Heisei 8) -Taiwan Strait Crisis due to the inauguration of President

Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, large-scale exercises of the Chinese

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

. *June 1998 (Heisei 10) -The revised PKO cooperation law was enacted. *1998 (Heisei 10) - North Korea shoots Taepodong-1 missile. *March 1999 - Suspicious ship incident off Noto Peninsula *May 1999 - Enactment of laws on measures to ensure peace and security in Japan in the event of a circumstance (Neighboring Situation Law) and Defense Guidelines Act (Japan-US New Guideline Law) . *October 2001 (Heisei 13) - War on Terror (

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with United States invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion by a Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, United States-led coalition under the name Oper ...

) begins. *2001 (Heisei 13) -The special measures law against terrorism was enacted. *December 2001 (Heisei 13) -

Battle of Amami-Ōshima The , was a six-hour naval confrontation between Japan and North Korea. It took place near the Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, in the East China Sea on 22 December 2001. The encounter ended in the sinking of the North Korean vessel, which th ...

*2003 (2003) March -

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

*July 2003 - Established the Special Measures Act (Iraq Reconstruction Special Measures Act) concerning the implementation of humanitarian recovery support activities and safety support activities in Iraq . *July 2006 (Heisei 18) - North Korea,

Taepodong-2 The Taepodong-2 (TD-2, also spelled as Taep'o-dong 2)
Federation of American Scientists, May 30, 2008 () is a ...

and other 7 missile launch experiments. *2006 (2006) 10 May - North Korea, again conducted a nuclear test. *2006 (2006) 12 May - the Japanese Defense Agency was promoted to the

Ministry of Defense (Japan) The is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving the peace and independence of Japan, and maintaining the country's national security and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The ministry is headed by the Mini ...

, to the original mission overseas dispatch amendment with the Ministry of Defense Establishment Law, Self-Defense Forces Law established. *2007 (2007) January - Defense Agency becomes the Ministry of Defense. *2007 (2007) 11 May - Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law is revoked. *January 16, 2008 - The Special Measures Law (New Terrorism Special Measures Law) concerning the implementation of supply support activities for anti-terrorism maritime prevention activities was enacted, and supply activities were resumed. *June 19, 2009 (Heisei 21) - The law on the punishment of piracy and the coping with piracy (the Piracy Action Law) was enacted. *2009 (2009) July - Iraq Special Measures Law is revoked. *January 16, 2010 (Heisei 22) - New Terrorism Special Measures Law expires. *2013 (January 2013) -

In Amenas hostage crisis The In Amenas hostage crisis began on 16 January 2013, when al-Qaeda-linked terrorists affiliated with a brigade led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar took expat hostages at the Tigantourine gas facility near In Amenas, Algeria. One of Belmokhtar's sen ...

*November 15, 2013 - The revised Self-Defense Forces Act was enacted. *September 30, 2015 - Enactment of a law (International Peace Support Act) on cooperation support activities for foreign armies, etc. implemented by Japan for the joint international peace coping project . The revised PKO cooperation law was enacted. The revised Peripheral Situation Law (Important Impact Situation Law) was enacted. The revised Self-Defense Force Law was enacted. ( 2015 Japanese military legislation)

JSDF Overseas Dispatches

Australian_peacekeepers_unload_engineering_equipment

Since 1991, the Japan Self-Defense Forces have conducted international activities to provide support for peacekeeping missions and disaster relief efforts as well as to help prevent conflict and terrorism.

References

{{Japan Self-Defense Forces Japan Self-Defense Forces