Although media opinion polls showed most respondents opposed extending the Self-Defense Forces deployment to Iraq, the government never seriously discussed a pullout of the Japanese troops from the war-torn country at the Dec. 14 end of their one-year mission.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi officially announced Thursday that the SDF deployment will be extended for another year. The maximum number of Ground Self-Defense Force troops stationed in the southern city of Samawah will remain unchanged at 600.
During a news conference, Koizumi stressed that the mission is being extended to help rebuild Iraq.