Rumsfeld asked Japan to use SDF for security work in Iraq

[EuroObserver]

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060129/kyodo/d8fejoo85.html
Monday January 30, 6:06 AM (GMT+8) (Kyodo) _ U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld explored the possibility during a meeting in January with Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga that Japan considers using the Self-Defense Forces for security operations in Iraq and to train Iraqi forces, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

Nukaga rejected the idea, made during a meeting between the two in Washington on Jan. 17, saying "It is difficult under (Japan's) existing laws," the sources said.

On bilateral defense issues, Nukaga used the meeting in Washington to urge the United States to return part of the land of the U.S. Army Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture following the planned relocation to Zama of a U.S. Army unit which would be formed through the reorganization of the U.S. Army I Corps, the sources said. Nukaga handed over a letter to Rumsfeld that says the return of the land is indispensable for the U.S. military to win local people's understanding and cooperation regarding the relocation, the sources said.
...
On Iraq, Rumsfeld told Nukaga that he believes Japan has fully understood that Iraq's economy will not develop until its security situation regains stability. Noting that U.S. forces are also involved in training security forces in Afghanistan, Georgia and other countries and in local security operations, Rumsfeld said it would be beneficial for Japan to play similar roles in cooperation with the United States, the sources said.

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