Japan considers withdrawing its troops from Iraq
TOKYO (Agencies)
Japan is considering withdrawing its air force from missions in Iraq, where they have been flying supplies in support of U.S.-led forces, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said on Thursday.
Japan's air force has airlifted materials and armed troops since 2006 between Kuwait and locations in Iraq, including Baghdad, in support of U.S.-led forces. Japanese troops, however, have not engaged in combat.
The mission, based in Kuwait and involving about 210 air force personnel, may finish by the end of the year.
"The purpose, which was to rehabilitate Iraq, is about to be achieved, and the security situation is getting better," Komura told reporters in Tokyo.
A non-binding Japanese court ruling said in April the mission was a breach of the country's pacifist constitution, but the ruling was dismissed by government and military officials.
An end to the mission comes as Tokyo faces difficulty renewing a law authorizing a marine refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan.
Japan's opposition, which has been making gains, is staunchly against both missions in Iraq and the Indian Ocean. It briefly forced a halt to the Indian Ocean deployment last year, saying Japan should not be part of "American wars."
Komura said the government came to the decision also because U.N. Security Council resolution 1790, which allows foreign troops to stay in Iraq, will expire at the end of December.
Ending the Iraq operation, launched in 2003, may irritate the United States, Japan's biggest ally, which has urged Japan to continue both the missions.