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Japanese PM shows reassurance on GSDF dispatch to Iraq

PLA Daily 2004-02-04

TOKYO, Feb. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he was reassured by the determination on the faces of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) troops who left for their reconstruction mission in Iraq.

"After watching TV, I was reassured by the determination on their GSDF members faces," the premier said at a press interview by television stations when asked to comment on the dispatch.

"The government will do its utmost so that they (the GSDF members) can thoroughly perform their duties and return safely," he said.

The 90-member group left Japan on Tuesday afternoon from GSDF's Chitose air base in north Japan's Hokkaido region and is scheduled to arrive in Kuwait on Wednesday.

Recent media surveys suggest many Japanese are calling for the premier to give further explanations about the deployment.

Analysts believe that the dispatch of SDF troops to Iraq is one of the key measures Koizumi's administration has taken since last year along with his structural reform programs.