Japan is considering deploying troops to two cities in southern Iraq with relatively stable security as part of its assistance in the reconstruction effort, government sources said Sunday.
With U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Japan on Friday, the Japanese government is expected to choose either the city of Nasiriya or Samawa and make preparations to draw up a basic plan to jump-start the Ground Self-Defense Force dispatch, the sources said.
The decision would come amid continued attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and an unstable security situation there.