Japanese SDF personnel sent to Iraq commit suicide

TOKYO - Twenty five personnel from the Self-Defense Force of Japan have committed suicide between fiscal 2005 and 2011 after being sent to Iraq, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said the causes of some cases were due to debts or family issues and that it remains unknown if there were links between the suicides and their mission in Iraq.

Of the 25, 19 belonged to the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), while the others were from the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF).

In fiscal 2011, the number of suicides among the around 250,000 SDF personnel totaled 78.