Recent conflicting information on the local situation in Iraq might be due to Japanese staff shortages in the country.
Officials at the Foreign Ministry and Defense Agency said the assassination of two Japanese diplomats traveling in northern Iraq in November prompted the ministry to withdraw all but essential personnel from the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, creating a shortage of staff to handle information-gathering activities.
The Foreign Ministry has refused to reveal the exact number of its remaining staff in Iraq, citing security reasons, although one ministry official said there are fewer than 10 people there now.