The humanitarian aid and reconstruction activities of the Self-Defense Forces in Iraq have gone into full swing following the deployment of 550 ground troops in Samawah. A year after the Iraq war started, Japan has now deployed a total of about 1,000 Ground, Maritime and Air SDF personnel in the country.
This is the first time since the end of the Pacific War that Japan has deployed such a large contingent in a foreign country where conflict continues. In Iraq, where guerrilla attacks are rampant, international cooperation for peace has become a new mission for the SDF.
While visiting Tokyo late last month, Seyyid Muhammed Bahr ul-Uloom, chairman of the Iraqi Governing Council, praised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for his "courageous decision" to dispatch SDF troops to Iraq.