TOKYO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada on Friday ordered Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to withdraw from a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in South Sudan by the end of May.
Following a meeting of senior defense ministry officials, Inada made the announcement saying that a milestone had been reached and the SDF personnel taking part in the UN peacekeeping activities had been highly regarded by UN and the government of South Sudan.
Inada said the ministry is making preparations for the SDF troops to pull out, adding that their safe return is now of utmost importance.
The government has said it planned to pull its troops out of South Sudan earlier this month, amid controversy regarding the expansion of the forces' operational scope.
Legal groups and scholars believed the forces' expanded mandate contravenes Japan's pacifist Constitution.
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