The basic plan for sending Japanese ground troops to Iraq for reconstruction assistance, which the Cabinet is expected to approve Tuesday, will omit specifics such as a time frame for the dispatch, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday.
"The basic plan is not an implementation guide or an order for the dispatch, and it is not to decide when" the Ground Self-Defense Force troops will depart, Ishiba said during an appearance on a TV talk program.
His remarks indicate the final decision on exactly when the troops are to be sent will be made carefully -- even after the basic plan is approved -- considering the security situation in Iraq and public opinion in Japan.