Japan plans to send civilians including government personnel and private-sector experts to Iraq, possibly by the end of the year, to help renovate schools and set up clinics and businesses, government sources said Sunday.
The civilian participation will be incorporated in the government's basic plan for assisting Iraq's reconstruction by deploying Self-Defense Forces to noncombat zones, the sources said.
The basic plan, expected to be endorsed by the Cabinet some time in November, would call for dispatching a few dozen civilians to Iraq along with 150 members of the Ground Self-Defense Force in December, although the precise timing depends on the security situation.