The Japanese government is considering sending ground troops of the Self-Defense Forces to Afghanistan as early as this summer, a leading newspaper reported in Tokyo Wednesday.

The troops will be providing medical support for the residents and transporting daily necessities, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, quoting government sources.

The number of troops has not be decided, but is expected to be about 100, the daily reported.

The deployment is based on a special anti-terrorism law, and senior Japanese officials have received an unofficial request from the United States, according to the paper.

Japan passed a bill right after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, authorizing sending troops to support the US-led war on terror. The two-year law was extended for another two years in 2003.

Based on the legislation, Japan dispatched warships and support vessels to the Indian Ocean to offer logistic support for the US and allied troops fighting in Afghanistan. The mission has since been extended several times, with the latest in April for another six months.

Maintaining military presence abroad is a sensitive issue because the country's pacifist constitution forbids involvement in warfare.

About 550 Japanese ground troops are currently posted in southern Iraq.

They are the first Japanese troops sent to operations without UN authorization and to areas where fighting is going on. The deployment of the ground force in Afghanistan may also evoke fire from oppositions as manhunt for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants are continuing there.

The envisioned deployment may exacerbate concerns over terrorist attacks on Japanese interests after the abduction of five Japanese nationals in Iraq a few weeks ago. A survey showed Tuesday more than 60 percent of the Japanese firms said such danger has increased.

Source: Xinhua