63% Japanese oppose to extend Iraq mission

More than half of Japanese opposed toextend the Self-Defense Forces' reconstruction assistance mission in Iraq, a media survey said Thursday.

Up to 63.3 percent of respondents was against keeping troops inIraq after current mission ends on Dec. 14, according to a Kyodo News poll. People who were in favor of an extension stood at 30.6 percent.

The survey was conducted shortly after a Japanese hostage's beheaded body was found Saturday in Iraq. The kidnappers had askedJapan to pull the troops out in exchange for the hostage's release.But Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi flatly rejected the demand.

The ground troops started entering Iraq's southern city of Samawah early this year. The Japanese government is mulling on remaining the force out there for probably another one year.

Since the death of hostage, Koizumi and other senior officials have showed caution on the plan, saying it would be decided depending on a comprehensive review of the local situation. The opposition party has urged the ruling coalition to scrap the envisaged extension.

At a parliamentary session Tuesday, the premier admitted the security situation in Samawah was "unpredictable", but insisted itwas still a non-combat area, a legal condition for the SDF's staying there, referring to recent two rocket shell hits at the SDF camp. No one was killed or injured in those incidents.

The survey also showed that 64.2 percent thought the governmentshould review the policy toward the United States, up from the 57.1 percent in the survey conducted after another two Japanese hostage incidents in April.

As a staunch ally of Washington, Japan has been supporting US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Source: Xinhua