Home>News Center>World
         
 

Japan extends Iraq mission for another year
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-08 15:43

Japan has extended its historic military mission in Iraq until the end of 2006 but may pull out sometime earlier next year, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said.

"Today, the government has decided to extend the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces (military) to Iraq by another one year," Koizumi told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"Humanitarian activities by the Self-Defense Forces have so far been highly valued by people in Iraq. We decided to extend their activities while looking at what Japan can do," he said.

He said he would make an "appropriate decision" on when to pull out of the relatively safe city of Samawa by looking at moves by Britain and Australia.

The two countries are in charge of security in the area of Japan's troops, who are barred from combat under the pacifist 1947 constitution imposed by the United States.

"I want to make an appropriate decision while closely cooperating with both the British and Australian governments, taking into full consideration the security situation in Samawa and taking every possible measure to ensure protection of the Self-Defense Force personnel," Koizumi said.

"We will think about Japan's assistance by always keeping in mind how it can help Iraqis quickly rebuild their country with their own hands without having to rely on the support of other nations," Koizumi said.

The Iraq mission, which began in December 2003, is Japan's first military deployment since World War II to a country where fighting is underway. It is seen as a way for Japan to bolster its image as more than an economic power.

Asked why the Iraq mission was useful if it was dependent on other countries' troops, Koizumi said, "It is important to cooperate with the multinational forces in Iraq.

"Of course Japan has a different purpose for the dispatch, but we should think about what Japan can do under these circumstances. I don't think Japan's mission is the same as those of Britain and Australia," he said.

News reports have said Japan is planning to withdraw in mid-2006 on the assumption that Britain and Australia would pull out of the area around the same time.

Opinion polls have shown that most Japanese oppose the deployment.



Aid package for victims of Hurricane Katrina
Saddam absent as trial adjourned again
Plane crash kills at least 116 in Iran
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

China, US start new round of strategic talks

 

   
 

Foreign firms' monopolies cause concern

 

   
 

Dam planned to contain river pollution

 

   
 

Deaths rise to 74 in Hebei coal mine blast

 

   
 

US air marshal kills passenger, citing threat

 

   
 

Saddam's stop-start trial goes on without him

 

   
  Saddam's stop-start trial goes on without him
   
  Margaret Thatcher admitted to hospital
   
  US airline passenger who made threat killed
   
  Iraqi kidnappers extend deadline two days
   
  Memo shows reports of Iraqi troops' abuse
   
  New Red Cross emblem paves way for Israel
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
US invasion has turned Iraq into terrorist training ground: Turkish PM
   
Memo shows reports of Iraqi troops' abuse
   
Sources: US may cancel units' deployment in Iraq
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement