Japanese troops land in South Sudan, fears of first foreign fighting since WW2

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews Japanese Self-Defence Forces' (SDF) troops during the annual SDF ceremony at Asaka Base, Japan, October 23, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

JUBA (Reuters) - A contingent of Japanese troops landed in South Sudan on Monday, an official said - a mission that critics say could see them embroiled in their country's first overseas fighting since World War Two.

The soldiers will join U.N. peacekeepers and help build infrastructure in the landlocked and impoverished country torn apart by years of civil war.