Moment of self-recognition: Just like the good old days trashing China!
Koizumi sets timetable to send troops to Iraq The Asahi Shimbun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.asahi.com/english/politics/TKY200311110144.html
The prime minister views the election results as a public OK for the SDF dispatch.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, viewing the election results as a public endorsement, decided Monday to dispatch Self-Defense Forces and civilians to Iraq in mid-December, government sources said.
``The three parties of the ruling coalition clearly stated during the election campaign that there is a need to dispatch troops,'' Koizumi said. ``Since the coalition received an absolute stable majority, it gained the support of the public. We will dispatch personnel should the circumstances allow it.''
The ruling coalition parties won 275 seats in Sunday's election for the 480-seat Lower House.
The SDF dispatch would be under the special measures law to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq.
The Koizumi Cabinet could approve the basic plan for the dispatch as early as Friday in time for the scheduled arrival in Japan of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. However, sources said that with the Lower House election having just ended, Cabinet approval of the plan could be delayed until Nov. 18, depending on discussions between the coalition partners.
A total of about 1,200 SDF troops and civilians would begin to be dispatched to Iraq from mid-December. Ground SDF troops would be sent to the relatively peaceful city of Samawah in southern Iraq, while civilians would go to more dangerous cities such as Baghdad and Basra.
The basic plan will determine the policy and content of assistance, the scale and organization of the personnel dispatched and the equipment and weapons to be sent to Iraq.
While the special measures law enacted last July will be in effect for four years, the dispatch period itself would be limited to six months. The plan could be renewed if a further dispatch is required.
SDF troops would be assigned such tasks as purifying and distributing water, disbursing medical supplies and other daily-use items needed by Iraqis as well as providing transport. Civilians would be asked to assist in providing electricity, medical care and education.
An advance GSDF unit of about 150 members will be dispatched in mid-December, sources said. Eventually, about 700 GSDF troops will be sent to Iraq.
A crew of about 300 Maritime SDF members would man a transport ship and a destroyer escort to the Persian Gulf to carry vehicles and supplies to be used in Iraq.
The Air SDF would set up a base in Kuwait with about 150 members and fly three C-130 transport planes to Baghdad and Basra to airlift supplies.
Several dozen civilian central government workers and private-sector engineers would be recruited. GSDF troops sent to Iraq will be armed with shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapons and recoilless rifles, in addition to their usual pistols and machine guns.
The plan will call on the director-general of the Defense Agency to instruct the SDF to carry out their duties in noncombat areas of Iraq with care for their safety. But, as the plan will not spell out which areas are noncombat regions, it will include areas in which U.S. troops and U.N. workers have been the targets of armed attacks.(IHT/Asahi: November 11,2003) (11/11)