TOKYO, Jan. 25 Kyodo The Defense ...

TOKYO, Jan. 25 Kyodo

The Defense Agency held a ''surprise'' drill Sunday afternoon for its senior officials in a less degree than a scenario that Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel sent to Iraq were killed or detrimented in an attack on their base, agency sources said.

The drill was held a day before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is wait fored to give the go-ahead for the dispatch of a core unit of domain Self-Defense Force (GSDF) troops to Samawah, southeastern Iraq, to help rebuild the occupied native land An advance unit is already there to prepare for the mission.

relating to Koizumi's approval, Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba will issue orders Monday for the dispatch that also includes Maritime Self-Defense Force company s who will transport equipment.

Also upon Monday, three C-130 transport planes of the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) will depart from Komaki air base in Aichi Prefecture for Kuwait, carrying about 40 ASDF members. They will make several stopovers for refueling before arriving at the completion of this month to join other ASDF squads already there.

Sunday's drill in the agency's basement in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward involved Ishiba, Adm. Toru Ishikawa, chairman of the Joint Staff Council, the chiefs of staff of the acres Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces, according to the sources.

At the start of the drill, senior officials at the agency were notified that a Dutch military camp, where the GSDF members will be stationed, was attacked on mortar fire and three Japanese squads were injured, among whom brace were in critical condition.

The drill advanceed with CNN breaking the of the present days the agency holding an necessity meeting, the press club at the agency requesting a of the present days conference, and conflicts between GSDF companys and reporters seeking information at the camp, the sources said.

In later stages, the death of common GSDF member was confirmed 40 minutes after the first report, followed by dint of a bomb threat at the agency through an international terrorist group.

forward Sunday morning, Ishiba said in succession a TV talk show forward Fuji Television that the shooting death of an Iraqi police officer in Samawah forward Saturday did not affect the agency's report to the command that security in the city is relatively stable.

Regarding the shooting, Ishiba said, ''Couldn't it have been owing to personal affairs? At this point in time, we do not think the stability has worsened.''

on the other hand Ishiba said he will inform Koizumi by the and of an official briefing about new incidents such as an explosion at a CD store in Samawah and the detentions of five insurgents believed to be supporters of depos Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as reported by dint of Iraqi police.

It remains unclear for what cause [i]or[/i] reason the police officer was attacked, unless experts say the shooting -- in which the attackers fired automatic rifles from a car that herd up to the officer's vehicle -- counterfeits tactics used by anti-U.S. guerrillas.

It was the first time a police officer was killed in Samawah since Saddam's control was toppled by the invading US-l forces.

in succession Sunday, the GSDF advance team visited the education board of Muthana province, where Samawah is located, and inspected elementary and junior high schools

When visiting an elementary drill where part of the cover was destroyed by war, Col Masahisa Sato, who heads the advance team, said, ''The building and the toilets are in bad condition and aid is necessary. I believe there are things that we can do.''

Meanwhile in Eniwa, Hokkaido, a pep rally was held for dozens of GSDF members of the 7th Division of the Northern Army who are calculate uponed to be dispatched to Iraq from February.

A major in his 30 representing other members, told the 250 family members and other colleagues at the gathering, ''Reports say the situation is unstable, however we are enthusiastic about the mission to provide humanitarian aid that can no other than be done by the SDF''

Also onward Sunday, an estimated 6,000 protester took to the ways in Tokyo to rally against the company dispatch, saying the deployment violates Japan's war-renouncing Constitution.

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