Defense agency chief admits existence of Iraq-related internal document

The defense chief on February 4 admitted the existence of the facsimile transmission log that can be identified as that of an internal document that raised suspicions that the Defense Agency may have tried to manipulate reports from the Ground Self-Defense Force's advance team in Iraq.

This was in answer to Japanese Communist Party representative Hatta Hiroko at a meeting of the House of Councilors special committee on Iraq.

A copy of the faxed document in question, entitled "Recent situation in Iraq and preparations for deploying to Ground SDF units (to Samawah)", was first revealed by a JCP representative at a House of Representatives special committee meeting on January 29.

The document suggested that the advance team should report on the situation in Samawah in line with what the faxed document said.

The defense chief said to Hatta that he had confirmed the existence of the fax transmission log on January 20 and January 21 sent from the Defense Agency Defense Operations Division to the Foreign Ministry National Security Policy Division.

Referring to the document instructing the advance team to withhold the information that six assaults against the occupation forces had taken place in the Muthana district that includes Samawah, Hatta said that this adds to the credibility of the document and criticized the government for dispatching the SDF in line with a U.S. scenario.

On Air SDF C-130 transport aircraft deployed to Iraq and Kuwait from the ASDF Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, she questioned Ishiba if they will transport U.S. forces' supplies and personnel who are involved in eliminating "terrorists" in Iraq. Ishiba confirmed that the ASDF unit could be engaged in such actions.

The JCP representative said, "These SDF activities that assist the Iraq occupation contravene the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution. The SDF must end its SDF dispatch to Iraq." (end)