TOKYO -- Japan is regularly pummeled by typhoons, deluged with floods and rattled by earthquakes. And after every big disaster, Self-Defense Force troops rush in to do search, rescue and recovery work.
The SDF was formed after World War II, and its service members have never fought in a combat zone, which is prohibited under Japan's pacifist constitution. But disaster-recovery operations demand professional expertise as well as physical and mental toughness from Japan’s soldiers.
