Japan to send peacekeepers to Iraq
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PM Koizumi has called general elections for November 9.
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TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's top policy planner has said Japan is preparing to send peacekeepers to Iraq, but did not elaborate on the timing or size of the deployment.
"There is a substantial need for rebuilding infrastructure in southeastern Iraq, and we want to send troops one way or another to get involved in the operation," Fukushiro Nukaga told a news program on public broadcaster NHK.
Nukaga said a small team will be sent initially to establish an operations base, with more troops to follow.
He did not elaborate on when the troops would go, or how many.
But a national newspaper, Yomiuri, on Sunday said Japan has decided to send three C-130 military transport aircraft and 150 soldiers to Kuwait in December to fly supply runs for U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
The main group of 550 soldiers would follow early next year to provide water, electricity and medical supplies to local residents, as well as U.S. and British forces, it said.
The newspaper said the transport mission would mainly involve flying supplies between Baghdad and the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
Koizumi has long advocated a more active role in international peacekeeping for Japan's military, which operates under tight restrictions imposed by its post-World War II pacifist constitution.
Japan's Parliament in July approved sending troops to help U.S.-led efforts to rebuild Iraq, but the dispatch has been on hold amid concerns about mounting casualties in Iraq.
Opponents in Japan say the beefing up of the nation's armed forces violates the constitution and signals a first step toward remilitarization.
Fearing an announcement about sending troops may ignite further criticisms, ruling party leaders are avoiding disclosing details before the November 9 parliamentary elections, the Mainichi newspaper said Sunday.
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