The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Tokyo

Japan said Thursday it was ending an air mission in Iraq, wrapping up a military deployment which was historic for the pacifist nation but deeply unpopular among the public.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan planned by the end of the year to bring back planes which flew goods and personnel into Iraq in support of the United Nations and US-led coalition. The mission is Japan's last remaining military operation in Iraq after the country, which has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II, ended a landmark ground deployment in 2006. "After continued consultations with Iraq, we have come to believe that the situation in Iraq has gradually improved and that we are gradually achieving the purpose" of the Japanese mission, Komura said. Some 210 Japanese troops and airplanes operating in Iraq are stationed in Kuwait. Domestic legislation allowing the mission expires in July next year.

"Even after pulling out the Air Self-Defence Forces, Japan's position to support Iraq will never change," Komura said.

But citing the the seventh anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the government said it will continue another controversial mission in the Indian Ocean, in which the naval forces give fuel for the US-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan.

"Operations in Afghanistan are becoming more and more significant," said Defence Minister Yoshisama Hayashi.

"The international community will be able to focus more on the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan" after withdrawing from Iraq, he said.

Japan's opposition, which has been making gains, is staunchly against both missions in Iraq and the Indian Ocean. It briefly forced a halt to the Indian Ocean deployment last year, saying Japan should not be part of "American wars."