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Japan to dispatch troops to Iraq
Tokyo, July 04: The lower house of Japan`s parliament approved a bill Friday to send ground troops to help with reconstruction efforts in Iraq in what would be Tokyo`s highest-profile role yet in international peacekeeping.
Tokyo, July 04: The lower house of Japan's parliament approved a bill Friday to send ground troops to help with reconstruction efforts in Iraq in what would be Tokyo's highest-profile role yet in international peacekeeping.
Under the bill, Japanese troops would serve in a non-combat role, mainly transporting supplies and ammunition. The dispatch, though not likely to be carried out until this fall, would deliver on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to US President George W Bush to assist with efforts to rebuild Iraq.
Japanese media have reported that the government intends to send about 1,000 troops to join in the reconstruction effort as early as October.
Koizumi's ruling coalition, which dominates the lower house, pushed the bill through despite strong opposition.
It will go before the less-powerful upper house Monday for further discussions. It is virtually assured of being passed into law by the end of the current parliamentary session on July 28.
Critics say the plan could allow Japanese troops to get drawn into combat in violation of the country's pacifist constitution, which is interpreted as restricting the military to defensive missions. The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan submitted a revised bill Wednesday, providing for Japan to help in Iraq without dispatching the military. It was rejected by the ruling coalition.
Under the bill, Japanese troops would serve in a non-combat role, mainly transporting supplies and ammunition. The dispatch, though not likely to be carried out until this fall, would deliver on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to US President George W Bush to assist with efforts to rebuild Iraq.
Japanese media have reported that the government intends to send about 1,000 troops to join in the reconstruction effort as early as October.
Koizumi's ruling coalition, which dominates the lower house, pushed the bill through despite strong opposition.
It will go before the less-powerful upper house Monday for further discussions. It is virtually assured of being passed into law by the end of the current parliamentary session on July 28.
Critics say the plan could allow Japanese troops to get drawn into combat in violation of the country's pacifist constitution, which is interpreted as restricting the military to defensive missions. The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan submitted a revised bill Wednesday, providing for Japan to help in Iraq without dispatching the military. It was rejected by the ruling coalition.
Koizumi has made expanding Japan's peacekeeping role a top priority, seeking to avoid the criticism it faced after the Gulf War in 1991 of "checkbook diplomacy" for pledging money instead of manpower.
The planes, carrying about 150 military personnel, will leave for Jordan on Monday on a three-month mission through October 6, according to a Cabinet Office statement.
While the planes will be authorised to transport supplies provided by UN agencies from Italy to countries bordering Iraq, they do not have UN approval to land in Iraq, Japan's Air Self-Defense Forces spokesman Chiyohiro Akamine said.
Bureau Report