The United States will do its utmost to assist the Self-Defense Forces in Iraq, including providing information to Japan concerning possible terrorist attacks, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba on Monday.
Armitage said that although reconstruction efforts are going well, local discontent toward the U.S. military as well as attacks by foreign terrorist elements are working against efforts to bring stability to the nation, according to a Japanese official who briefed reporters.
"We will tell Mr. (Paul) Bremer to cooperate with Japan," Armitage was quoted as saying by the official. Bremer is the top U.S. administrator in Iraq. "We will do everything we can."