iraq4

News on SDF in Iraq controlled: JCP representative

Japanese Communist Party Shiokawa Tetsuya in the Diet on April 23 revealed that the Defense Agency is restricting media access to the activities of Japan's Self-Defense Forces deployed in Iraq.

He said that there is now growing concern about news reporting under the "contingency"-related laws.

Responding to Shiokawa, Kitahara Iwao, director of the Defense Agency's Secretariat said, "The press restraints are needed to ensure the safety of the SDF units and the smooth practice of their duty."

The JCP representative, however, pointed out that the agency is restricting reporting not only on matters related to "ensuring safety" but also on SDF personnel's drinking or on women personnel's clothes.

Regarding reporting on the SDF units in Iraq, the Defense Agency requires the news media to apply for their on-site coverage to the government and forces them to release the information that may affect the SDF safety to the government. (end)