Japan Troops May Stay in Iraq Through 2005

[Khephra]

TOKYO -- Japan's defense chief on Sunday said that Japanese troops could remain in Iraq until late 2005, a year longer than their current mandate.

Some 500 Japanese troops are on a humanitarian mission in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah. Their mandate expires Dec. 14, and the government hasn't yet decided if the troops will stay.

Asked about a potential pullout, Defense Minister Yoshinori Ono said several factors had to be considered, including whether the troops had fulfilled their mission to help rebuild the country.

"Another factor to consider is that a mission by multinational troops expires next December -- that could be one cutoff point," Ono said on NHK television.

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