Gulf Crisis, confidential （２１）　

２１) Epilogue

In conclusion, perhaps you might think that the Japanese contribution to the Gulf Crisis was very trivial. Was it something meaningless?
I don’t think so. You’ll have a better understanding of it if you look at the Japanese history thereafter.

In 1992 Japanese Self Defense Forces (JSDF) were sent to Cambodia as a Peace Keeping Organization (PKO) based on the International Peace Treaty. Among the 220 members there were 22 medics including 3 doctors and 2 dentists who were sent. After the first detachment , the JSDF were sent to Mozambique in 1993, and then to Goma, Zaire in 1994. In Goma the JSDF doctors treated 2100 patients and performed 70 surgeries. Thereafter, they were sent to Golan Heights, Israel in 1996, and East Timor in 2000 and then to Iraq in 2003.

Overseas detachment of the JSDF for PKO activities in conflict areas obtained a national consensus thanks to the positive record of the last 10 years. It is my opinion that our team in 1990 was the touchstone for this national consensus. Based on the failure of humane contributions during Gulf Crisis in 1990, the JSDF were recognized as an integral part of Japan's cooperation on the
international stage during episodes of overseas conflict. The JSDF performed their duties faithfully each time they were sent abroad. In conclusion, the Japanese Medical Team in 1990 was not only the touchstone, but the inevitable first step for Japanese international participation, rising to the aid of those in need during worldwide conflicts.

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