Two-thirds of Iraqis in Muthana want Japanese troop to stay

January 15, 2006

Two-thirds of residents in Iraq's Muthana Province surveyed recently by Kyodo News said they oppose Japan's plan to begin withdrawing Japanese troops in the southern city of Samawah this summer while a record-high percentage of almost 20 percent did not support the deployment. In the survey of 1,000 respondents, almost three-quarters, or 73 percent, welcomed Japan's decision in December to extend the Ground Self-Defense Force's aid mission for a third year.