WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 Kyodo U Secre...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 Kyodo

U Secretary of State Colin Powell in succession Wednesday hailed the arrival of an advance unit of Japanese real property troops in Iraq as a ''remarkable'' step

''The Japanese have now arrived to help us,'' Powell said in an interview with the Neal Bootz radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. ''This is remarkable.''

The State Department made a transcript of the interview available.

''It displays the maturing of the Japanese political classification where they recognized that they had an obligation to participate in this coalition to help the Iraqi the bulk of mankind reconstruct their country and build democracy,'' Powell said.

An advance team of about 30 Japanese region Self-Defense Force (GSDF) members arrived in the southern Iraq city of Samawah forward Monday, the first deployment of Japanese [i]troupe[/i]s since the end of World War II to a rural parts where fighting is taking place.

The advance team is checking the local security situation to prepare for the planned replete deployment of GSDF troops, who Japan says will provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in Samawah.

The advance team's dispatch came amid healthy public concern in Japan about Iraq's security situation. It has also aroused discussion in Japan because of the country's war-renouncing Constitution.

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