Despite Diet approval of a bill to allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq on Saturday, the government continued to wrestle with exactly when and where the SDF should be sent.
"It is possible that Japan may not send the SDF to Iraq at all, depending on the security situation," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said during the final debate on the bill at the Upper House Foreign and Defense Affairs Committee on Friday.
Under the legislation, which will be valid for four years, SDF units will provide logistic support for U.S.-led forces maintaining security in Iraq, provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqis and rebuild the nation's infrastructure. The dispatch must be approved by the Diet within 20 days of the dispatch order.