Top > World > 2006 > July > 2006-07-26

Japanese Troops Leave Iraq

Japan no longer has any troops serving in Iraq, the last troops returned to the home islands, ending a two-and-a-half year stint that saw the Japanese Self-Defense Forces take on a non-combat support role to the American, British, Australian, Polish, Dutch and Italian troops who have been serving in the country since the toppling of Saddam Hussein?s dictatorial regime in 2003. Japan?s ability to use its military is limited by its post-World War II Constitution, with the military ceding offensive operations which contribute to the country?s defense to the United States.

Japan has not suffered any casualties in Iraq, with the country?s rotating force of 600 troops being protected by the international forces, led by America, which are trying to restore order to the nascent Arab democracy, wracked as it is by daily acts of terrorism and sectarian violence which threatens to plunge the nation into all-out civil war. The 280 troops who left their base at Samawa, Iraq, were the last to leave, though 200 Japanese military personnel remain in Kuwait to assist for allied transportation assistance.

The deployment of Japanese troops in Iraq caused a furor in the island nation, where rigorous attention is paid to upholding the Constitution. Following the wanton Japanese aggression of the Second World War, which spread into China and throughout the southern Pacific region, the victorious Allies insisted that Japan not be allowed to slip into dangerous militarism again. A recent debate over the ability of Japan to take action to prevent North Korean missile tests also brought up the Constitution, with some members of the government being in favor of amending the Constitution for limited ?offensive-defensive? actions.