1m 21s: Lenght

Samawah, Iraq, 31 March 2004 1. Exterior of camp 2. Japanese soldiers in line 3. Officer addressing journalists 4. Various Japanese working on road project 5. Close up badge 6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masahisa Sato, Commander of the Japanese Self Defense Force troop for reconstruction effort in Iraq: "We, the Ground Self Defense Force troop dispatched for the reconstruction effort for Iraq, are launching the project for road repair as of today. This is our second public property maintenance project after the school repair programme we started the other day." 7. Exterior tent 8. Various of officer talking on phone to Japanese Defence Minister in Japan 9. Wide tent interior STORYLINE: Japanese peacekeepers in Iraq continued their duties in and around the city of Samawah on Tuesday, beginning the day by starting a road surveying project. Later on the base commander spoke to the Japanese Defence Minister in Tokyo on a newly-established telephone link. The Japanese forces in Iraq are playing a humanitarian role dealing with rebuilding and refurbishing war damaged or neglected areas of towns near their bases. Japan''s deployment of soldiers to Iraq caused widespread protest at home. It''s the first time they have been deployed to a combat zone since World War II. The soldiers based in Samawah have been engaged in providing clean water to local residents over recent days. Around 1000 soldiers from Japan will eventually be stationed in Iraq. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/4a869d759f30be63e49bf344f05fa81d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork