The 90-member contingent flew out from the Air-Self Defense Force's Chitose Base in Hokkaido for Kuwait. Its final destination is the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, which will serve as the base for the 550-strong GSDF mission. Government officials said the group would arrive there Feb. 7 at the earliest.

It is the first time since World War II that Japan has dispatched troops to a country where combat is taking place. The Self-Defense Forces troops are being dispatched for a non-combat mission.

The team, which consists mainly of engineers and security personnel from bases in Hokkaido, will set up a GSDF camp in Samawah.

The deployment remains controversial.

Diet debate was stalled until Feb. 3 after opposition parties boycotted a committee session Jan. 31 to protest the governing coalition's push for Diet approval of the deployment.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 7, 2004
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