The government announced Tuesday that Japan will withdraw its Ground Self-Defense Force troops from southern Iraq, ending their 2 1/2-year noncombat mission. It is fortunate that, so far, not a single GSDF member has been injured or killed during this time and that the GSDF troops have not had to fire a single bullet. The mission, in which a total of 5,500 GSDF members participated in three-month rotations, was the largest-ever overseas deployment for the GSDF.

The rather smooth operation and conclusion of the mission, however, should not be used as justification for future, unrestricted deployments of Self-Defense Force units overseas. Utmost care must be taken during the withdrawal phase to ensure that no GSDF troops are harmed or find themselves in a situation in which they must hit back by firing their weapons. It is expected to take four to six weeks for the current 600-member GSDF contingent in Iraq to move to Kuwait for eventual return to Japan.

Japanese opposition lawmakers early on raised the question of the constitutionality of the GSDF deployment in Iraq. An ad hoc law enacted in July 2003 -- and set to expire in four years -- enabled the government to carry out the SDF troop deployment for noncombat activities only. The law also restricted SDF activities to a "noncombat zone," a concept devised to avoid the appearance of violating the Constitution, which prohibits the use of military force abroad.