Japan today ordered members of its air force to prepare to leave for the Middle East as early as next week to mark the start of its contribution of troops to support the reconstruction of Iraq.
Defence Minister Mr Shigeru Ishiba ordered an advance air force team to leave for Kuwait on or after December 26th as part of a government plan to send troops to Iraq that is likely to lead to Japan's biggest and most dangerous overseas military mission since World War Two.
A defence agency spokesman said the exact date of the departure and the size of the team, the first dispatch of military personnel under the government plan, will not be made public due to safety reasons.
Media reports said around 40 personnel will be sent to Kuwait, Qatar and possibly even to Iraq, to assess security conditions there to prepare for the dispatch of a larger unit expected in January.
The move comes as surveys show that the vast majority of the public are opposed to sending troops to Iraq now, and as opposition parties attack the government plan as being ill-conceived and violating Japan's pacifist constitution.
The debate over whether to send troops intensified after two Japanese diplomats were shot dead in Iraq late last month.