Japanese troops begin historic Iraq deployment

SAMAWA, Iraq - Japanese troops arrived in southern Iraq on Monday to begin Japan's most controversial and risky deployment since World War 2.

An advance party of around 35 soldiers who will prepare the ground for the likely deployment of about 1000 troops arrived at the Dutch military camp in Samawa at 9pm (7am Tuesday NZT) after crossing the border from Kuwait eight hours earlier.

The dispatch marks a historic shift away from Japan's purely defensive postwar security policy and poses a huge political risk for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose government could be rocked if, as many expect, casualties occur.

Japanese public opinion is divided over Koizumi's decision to send troops to Iraq but he defended the dispatch in a speech prepared for the opening of a new session of parliament.

"We would not be meeting our responsibilities as a member of the international community if we were to leave the contribution of personnel to other countries because of the possible danger," Koizumi said.

The troops will be based in the mainly Shi'ite southern city of Samawa, where they will conduct reconstruction and humanitarian operations.

If Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba judges the area safe after team members report back, he will likely order the main body of troops to set off from late January.

A law enacted last July allows the troop dispatch, but in line with Japan's pacifist constitution, limits the military's activity to "non-combat zones", a murky concept in Iraq, which continues to see daily attacks on occupying troops.

Security was tight in Tokyo after media reports said late last year al Qaeda had warned Japan it would attack the heart of the capital as soon as Japanese troops set foot in Iraq.

About 48 per cent of respondents to a weekend poll by Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun said they opposed the dispatch, down from 55 per cent in the previous poll in December. About 40 per cent said they supported it, up from 34 per cent.

A similar poll conducted by Kyodo news agency found 51.6 per cent against and 42.8 per cent in favour.

While the deployment -- which critics say violates the pacifist constitution -- has divided public opinion in Japan, it has generated huge anticipation in Samawa, a mainly Shi'ite town 300km south of Baghdad.

Banners have been hung across streets in the centre of the town with greetings in both Arabic and Japanese. "Along with our Japanese friends, we will help to rebuild this city," reads one. "Welcome to the Self-Defence Force", proclaims another.

The excitement is built largely on the expectation of jobs, with many townspeople hoping that Japanese corporations like Sony and Toshiba will be only a few steps behind the soldiers.

"Everyone is thinking that they would like to work for a big Japanese company, like Hitachi," said Ahmed Kassim, a young man running a street stall.

"The Japanese will give us lots of jobs."

Unemployment is seen as the biggest problem in Samawa with estimates that up to half the men in the town are out of work.

Earlier this month, two people were killed in violent protests over a lack of jobs. But the town has been remarkably quiet since the end of the war in April, said the commander of the Dutch military contingent responsible for security in area.

But there are concerns that the Japanese troops, who are prevented from engaging in combat operations and can use weapons only in self-defence, may become a target for insurgents.

No member of Japan's military has fired a shot in combat or been killed in an overseas mission since World War 2, although Japanese forces have taken part in United Nations operations since a 1992 law made that possible.

- REUTERS


Herald Feature: Iraq