Tokyo perceives a deterioration in security conditions in the southern Iraq city of Samawah, where Ground Self-Defense Force troops are stationed on an aid mission, a government official in Japan said Thursday.
"The (security) situation appears different than in the past," Senior Vice Foreign Minister Shuzen Tanigawa told a news conference. "We need to take all possible measures, thoroughly consulting with the Defense Agency."
Tanigawa was alluding to efforts to protect the GSDF troops. At least five apparent mortar rounds were fired at the GSDF camp in Samawah on Monday, with one landing inside the camp.
