The Foreign Ministry is considering ways to beef up security at the Japanese Embassy in Iraq amid deteriorating security in Baghdad and other parts of the country, a senior ministry official said Wednesday.

"I think there are about three ways to do this -- ask the Self-Defense Forces, or the police, or use another method -- and we are currently having serious discussions with concerned parties to decide," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The ministry is consulting with the Defense Agency and the National Police Agency on the possibility of having them dispatch troops or police to protect the embassy and its staff.