Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday he informed the Al-Jazeera Arabic TV network of Japan's peaceful intentions in dispatching Self-Defense Forces units to Iraq, hoping the mission will help the Iraqi people create a democratic government.
After an interview with Ghassan Ben Jeddou, who heads the network's Tehran bureau, Koizumi told reporters he explained to him that "the SDF is going to Iraq not to fight but to provide reconstruction and humanitarian assistance."
Koizumi said he stressed during the interview that the chief duty of the SDF will be "to help the Iraqi people create a stable and democratic government quickly." The interview was recorded at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.