Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has decided to send a unit from the main contingent of the Ground Self-Defense Force to Iraq late next month at the earliest to help with rebuilding efforts, government sources said Sunday.
The decision comes after New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki on Saturday effectively approved the dispatch of noncombat ground troops to the southeastern Iraqi city of Samawah after personally checking the security situation there.
Barring a sudden change in security, the GSDF dispatch is expected to go ahead because political conditions are right, the sources said.