More than 4,000 anti-war protesters demonstrate against Japan's PM Junichiro Koizumi's decision to send troops to Iraq. The government is expected to formally approve the dispatch on Monday. Photo by AFP
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won the backing of his junior coalition partner to send troops to Iraq in a non-combat role. The government is expected to formally approve the dispatch of the main contingent of 600 troops on Monday. The controversial move commits Japanese troops to a combat zone for the first time since World War II. An advance party of Japanese troops arrived in southern Iraq last week to assess the conditions there.