Japan Self-Defense Forces Humanitarian and Reconstruction Activities in Iraq

Since March 26, 2004, the SDF have been purifying the water from a nearby canal and providing Iraqi people with clean water using water supply trucks Japan has presented to Iraq through its ODA program. The SDF have been contributing to the improvement of health and living conditions of the people in and around Samawah through water supply activities.

*About 36,000 tons of clean water had been provided by the end of October 2004 (about 180,000 drums).

“In the past, many children became sick by drinking water from the river. We can now get clean water, and we are very happy.”

Since March 25, 2004, SDF personnel have been working together with employed local people to restore and develop social infrastructure, repairing public school facilities and improving and paving roads. They are making contributions to the improvement of living conditions for the people in and around Samawah.

*36 locations of Roads and public facilities like schools have been repaired and improved at 36 locations. Repair work has been completed at Haddba Primary School and 13 other facilities (as of the end of October 2004)

“Many children will graduate from this school and will contribute to the reconstruction of our country. We are very grateful to Japan.” (Principal, Haddba Primary School)

SDF medical officers started providing medical support at four hospitals in and around Samawah on Feb. 19, 2004, taking care of medical and healthcare needs of area residents in the area.

*Providing advice and guidance to Iraqi doctors taking part in medical case seminars and patient inspections.

*Providing advice and guidance on the use of medical equipment supplied by Japan through its ODA program.

*SDF nurses giving advice to local nurses (as of the end of October 2004)

“Japanese medical officers are giving us guidance, seeing things the way we do. We really appreciate their help.” (A nurse at Samawah Mother-Child Hospital)

SDF medical officers making their rounds together with Iraqi doctors at Samawah General Hospital

The Air Self-Defense Force, using C-130 transport planes, has been air lifting humanitarian aid supplies between Kuwait and Iraq since March 3, 2004.

A total of 78 transport missions (180 tons of supplies) conducted (as of the end of October, 2004)

Air Self-Defense Force personnel carrying humanitarian aid supplies into a plane

On Feb. 20, 2004, the transport ship “Osumi” and the destroyer “Murasame” left Muroran Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido carrying Ground Self-Defense Force vehicles. They arrived in Kuwait on March 15 after a 14,000-kilometer voyage.

Transport ship “Osumi” carrying Ground Self-Defense Force vehicles and humanitarian aid

SDF personnel and local people are getting to know each other. SDF troops play soccer with children, who serenade them with local songs in return.

“Samawah residents are really happy about everything Japanese people have done for them. We hope that they will continue to support us.”

“Iraqi children are saying people of the Japan Self-Defense Forces are their friends. We consider ourselves privileged to be able to welcome them to Samawah.”

Glad to welcome the JDF onboard. Along with a presence in Iraq, the SDI, and the need to respond to the ChiComs, I expect the Japanese to become more a military power than they have been.

I just hope that their defense forces do better against the bean-counters than ours and Britain's have so far.

While it looks like we are going to cut F-22s and aircraft carriers (though in all fairness I believe the plan is to finance more personnel), and Britain is disbanding distinguished units, it looks like Japan's Self-Defense Forces may actually be able to squeeze some more money out of the Finance Ministry:

Japan defence body set for promotion to ministry status

By David Pilling in Tokyo Published: January 8 2005 02:00 | Last updated: January 8 2005 02:00
Japan's defence agency could be upgraded to a ministry this year, its head said yesterday, signalling growing confidence that the agency can play a bigger role in moulding the country's security agenda.
Yoshinori Ohno, head of the agency since September, said: "We should change from an agency to a full ministry this year. This is not wishful thinking. If I push forward with this, I believe this will be realised."
The agency, which controls the self defence forces (SDF), the equivalent of Japan's armed forces under its US-written pacifist constitution, was stripped of its ministerial status after the second world war.
Any attempt to regain its lost power could provoke suspicion from neighbours, particularly China, which resents any sign that Japan is widening the scope of its military power. It could also lead to friction with other parts of the Japanese administration, including the foreign ministry.
Mr Ohno said Junichiro Koizumi, the prime minister, had indicated he supported making him a minister.
Mr Koizumi's administration has widened the role of Japan's defence forces, sending them to Iraq and deploying them more frequently in disaster-relief operations at home and abroad, most recently after last month's tsunami disaster.
The defence chief hinted that his influence was growing, boasting of his victory over the finance ministry in recent budget negotiations.
Takao Toshikawa, a political commentator, said there was a growing momentum to upgrade the defence agency's power. He said it was possible the ruling Liberal Democratic party would bring the issue to parliament in November in conjunction with proposals for constitutional amendments, a process that will be even more crucial in determining the future role of Japan's armed forces.
Mr Ohno said Japan would remain a pacifist nation with strong civilian control of its armed forces.

ust a minor tweak to your post, the US military budget is going up. Rumsfeld is, correctly, challenging the armed forces to prove that their expensive toys are required. The cost of the Comanche program would have given every member of the armed forces a pay raise. I don't always agree with Rumsfeld, but as ex-Navy, I challenge the need to build another carrier right after the CVN-77. The X-47 the Navy is looking at may change what we need for carriers.

Excellent point. I should have given numbers rather just examples. Our budget for 2004 was 375 billion dollars for discretionary spending in Defense, and that will rise to 402 billion dollars for 2005.

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