Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of Japanese ground troops from southern Iraq, moving to end the country's largest overseas military operation since World War II. In a nationally televised news conference, Koizumi said the troops had accomplished their non-combat mission, and he pledged to continue aiding Iraqi reconstruction. He offered no timetable for the withdrawal, but Defense Chief Fukushiro Nukaga told reporters earlier in the day that the pullout would take "several dozen days." Koizumi, who steps down in September, has been a vocal supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq. He is to travel to Washington for a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush later this month, the Associated Press reported.
