Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Thursday praised Japan for sending the Self-Defense Forces on a humanitarian mission to Iraq.
"The people of Iraq will not forget the helping hands (of Japan) in times of trouble," Jaber said during a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, according to a Japanese official.
Koizumi meanwhile thanked Kuwait for its cooperation in the mission, the official said. Air Self-Defense Force airmen are in Kuwait running transport missions, while Ground Self-Defense Force troops have been training there before heading to Japan's base in the southern Iraq city of Samawah.
Jaber, who is also Kuwait's defense minister, was quoted as saying he supports the ongoing offensive in Fallujah.