Japan Deploys First Military Unit on Iraq Mission

TOKYO —  Japan dispatched its first military unit to Iraq today, spearheading the country’s biggest overseas deployment since World War II.

The advance air force contingent of 23 personnel left this morning, split between two commercial flights to Kuwait and Qatar from Tokyo’s international airport. The rest of the 40-plus-member advance team was to leave in coming days, but officials would not give details.

“The time has come for us to go,” Col. Tadashi Miyagawa told reporters at the airport before going through security. “Each individual has his own thoughts, but we’ll be unified.”

The air force units will assess security and arrange for a 276-member air force contingent, which will be charged with shipping medicine and food from Kuwait to Iraq. In addition, more than 500 Japanese ground troops will be deployed in southern Iraq in February and March.

The contingent sent today was part of a total dispatch of about 1,000 personnel, including land, air and sea forces, on a mission to help restore water services, offer medical aid and rebuild schools and other infrastructure.

The deployment has raised opposition in Japan, where many are wary of casualties in Iraq and terrorist reprisals at home. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s government has stressed Japan’s responsibility to help U.S.-led coalition forces restore stability to Iraq.

Japan also has been keen to avoid the kind of criticism from Washington that Tokyo incurred during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when it sent money but no personnel.

“We want the military to make big contributions to Iraqi reconstruction and humanitarian assistance,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said at a news conference today. “We expect them to fulfill their duties and make major contributions.”

The Defense Agency plans to deploy armored vehicles and up to six naval ships to support its units. Eight aircraft will also be dispatched.

The deployment will be a milestone for Japan’s military, whose activities are strictly limited by the country’s post-World War II pacifist constitution.