June 8th 2002
The United States has asked Japan to send medical and construction units of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) to Afghanistan as part of efforts to help the reconstruction of the war-torn country, Japanese and U.S. government sources said Friday.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz made the request June 1 when he met with Japanese Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani in Singapore, the sources said.
Wolfowitz called on Nakatani to dispatch GSDF medical units to treat Afghan people and U.S. soldiers there and send construction units to repair roads, bridges and airports, the sources said.
Wolfowitz asked for Japanese cooperation in Afghan reconstruction, citing the dispatches of medical units by South Korea and Jordan as examples, they said.
Nakatani, however, showed a cautious view of the proposed dispatch, saying there is a possibility GSDF units may be involved in battles as remaining al-Qaida members continue sporadic resistance.
The antiterrorism law, enacted Oct. 29, authorizes the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to send its personnel overseas to provide logistical support for the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. But it prohibits SDF dispatches to combat areas.
The GSDF is now sending about 700 members to East Timor for U.N. peacekeeping operations there, and this is also adding difficulties to the proposed dispatch to Afghanistan.
Wolfowitz and Nakatani met on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Singapore sponsored by the International Institure for Strategic Studies, a British think tank.
