The government-sponsored bill approved Friday by the Cabinet to dispatch elements of the Self-Defense Forces to help rebuild postwar Iraq is the latest legislation defining the SDF's roles overseas.
The bill would allow the SDF, for the first time, to set foot on foreign soil without the consent of the host country.
Critics have been quick to point out that it is yet another way to deploy the SDF overseas, following the 2001 antiterrorism law that enabled Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to provide fuel to U.S.-led forces fighting in Afghanistan.