Sinai PKO dispatch extended to November 2027 with excluded …

In the Official Gazette dated November 11, 2026, the Government promulgated Cabinet Order No. 348, extending the dispatch period of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) / Sinai Peninsula International Peace Cooperation Force until November 30, 2027. Established by the Cabinet, it was signed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and countersigned by Minister of State Minoru Kihara, acting as the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Cabinet Order shall come into effect on the date of promulgation.

The legal basis for this amendment is Article 5, Paragraph 8 and Article 17, Paragraph 2 of the Act on Cooperation with United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, etc. (Act No. 79 of 1992, the PKO Act). The subject of the amendment is the Cabinet Order Concerning the Establishment, etc. of the Sinai Peninsula International Peace Cooperation Force (Cabinet Order No. 148 of 2019). The amendments are limited to two points, and no changes were made to the provisions regarding the composition, equipment, or number of personnel of the force.

Extension of Dispatch Deadline by Approximately One Year, Effective from Date of Promulgation

The period specified in Article 1, Paragraph 1 is amended from “November 30, 2026” to “November 30, 2027.” Consequently, the dispatch framework, which was scheduled to expire at the end of November this year, will be maintained for an additional year. Implementation is on the day of promulgation, and no transitional measures have been established.

Removal of Exclusions for South Sinai Governorate and Sharm El-Sheikh City from the Area of Operations

Two limiting phrases regarding the area of operations are deleted from the items in Appended Table 1. Specifically, as follows:

Deletion of the phrase “and South Sinai Governorate”
Deletion of the phrase “(excluding the area of Sharm El-Sheikh City)”

As a result, the force’s area of operations will encompass the entire Sinai Peninsula, and the geographical restrictions under the Cabinet Order will be removed for the southern governorate and the center of Sharm El-Sheikh City, which were previously excluded. The exclusion provisions were written at the time of the 2019 Cabinet Order and are removed by this amendment.

Decision in the Form of a Cabinet Order Following Cabinet Decision and Signing

This matter was handled as a partial amendment to a Cabinet Order based on the delegation of the PKO Act, rather than an amendment to the law itself. The promulgation text bears the Imperial Seal, with the signature of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the countersignature of Minister of State Minoru Kihara, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. Promulgation was dated November 11, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of the same day.

Order Number: Cabinet Order No. 348
Promulgation Date: November 11, 2026
Legal Basis: PKO Act (Act No. 79 of 1992) Article 5, Paragraph 8; Article 17, Paragraph 2
Subject of Amendment: Cabinet Order No. 148 of 2019
Amended Items: Article 1, Paragraph 1 (Dispatch Period), Appended Table 1 (Area of Operations)
Effective Date: Date of Promulgation

Decision to Maintain the Framework for Middle East Dispatch for One Year

This amendment establishes the legal framework to ensure the continuation of Japan’s personnel contributions to peacekeeping activities in the Sinai Peninsula until at least November 30, 2027. The fact that the one-year extension of the deadline and the removal of restrictions on the activity area were carried out simultaneously indicates that the continuation of the dispatch and the review of the scope of activities were decided as a single package. Amidst the fluid situation in the Middle East, the government has shifted to a system that prevents the legal basis for the dispatch from expiring while enabling activities in areas including the south.

Sources

“Cabinet Order to Partially Amend the Cabinet Order on the Establishment of the International Peacekeeping Force for the Sinai Peninsula” (Cabinet Order No. 348), published in the Official Gazette (November 11, 2026)
Act on Cooperation with United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, etc. (Act No. 79 of 1992)
Cabinet Order on the Establishment of the International Peacekeeping Force for the Sinai Peninsula (Cabinet Order No. 148 of 2019)