Japan to go ahead with sending SDF to Iraq despite attack: LDP official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 01, 2003

Japan to go ahead with sending SDF to Iraq despite attack: LDP official

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Japan still plans to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq despite the killing of two Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said Sunday.

Even though it is likely that many lawmakers, including those within the ruling LDP, may grow more hesitant about sending troopsto Iraq in light of Saturday's attack, Abe said Japan is keen to push ahead with its plans.

"Our view that we should not yield to terrorism will not changeas a result of this," Abe said at a press conference.

The attack came amid strong public opposition and concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.

But Abe, in reference to the timing of the SDF dispatch, also reiterated the need for caution, saying, "It is necessary to decide based on the findings of thorough investigations to ensure the security of the SDF troops."

The two diplomats -- Masamori Inoue, 30, and Katsuhiko Oku, 45,-- were ambushed and killed when they were driving near the northern city of Tikrit, about 150 kilometers north of Baghdad, around 5 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Saturday.

It is the first time that Japanese have been killed in Iraq since the start of the US-led war in Iraq in March.

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