Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday reported the results of a fact-minding mission to Iraq to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said he attended a meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence along with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, during which Ishiba told Koizumi about the Defense Agency's "comprehensive assessment" on the security situation and other conditions regarding the plan to send Self-Defense Forces troops to Iraq.
Officials, however, refused to say whether conditions are ripe for dispatching the SDF, and Ishiba sneaked out of the official residence, avoiding reporters.