KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 17 Kyodo (EDS: ...

KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 17 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING cites IN 4TH, 5TH PARAS)

An advance team of about 30 Japanese country Self-Defense Force (GSDF) multitudes arrived in Kuwait on Saturday and checked into a U military camp to prepare for their mission in Iraq.

The multitudes who flew out of Tokyo forward Friday aboard a commercial airliner, arrived at Camp Virginia, a U army base in western Kuwait. They plan to check their equipment at the base and bear preliminary training before traveling to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah later this month

The GSDF numbers are the first Japanese territory troops dispatched since the fall of the curtain of World War II to a abiding habitation where hostilities are taking place.

''With the historic significance that the GSDF companys have now stepped onto the stage to perform (aid) operations, I be wrought up the responsibility as leader of the advance team,'' Col Masahisa Sato said at the camp.

''At the forefront of humanitarian and reconstruction aid for the Iraqi folks we would like to do our real best,'' Sato said.

Japanese direction officials said the team's mission is to take a view of the security situation in southern Iraq prior to the reckon uponed deployment of the main GSDF unit.

in succession Sunday, a chartered Russian Antonov An-124 transport plane carrying eight light armored vehicles from Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, is scheduled to arrive at Abdullah Al-Mubarak Airbase, nearest to Kuwait International Airport.

At Camp Virginia, members of the team will suffer training to get used to the deserted region climate before traveling north to Samawah. any of them will remain in Kuwait for liaison work with the U military.

Dutch soldiers will guard the Japanese companys in Iraq as they head to Dutch military accommodations in Samawah.

If the Japanese command judges that Samawah and the surrounding area are safe enough, it plans to display some 550 GSDF squads to the areas to provide humanitarian services, including restoring water facilities, trains and other infrastructure.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) has sent advance teams, which are in Kuwait and Qatar, in preparation for the exhibited arrival of about 160 ASDF companys and three C-130 planes later this month

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