Former Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Nakayama met with Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan on 17 December to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq as a Special Envoy of Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi. Special Envoy Nakayama expressed Japan's hope that the entire International community would take advantage of the capture of former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein as an opportunity to cooperate more fully, particularly appealing for greater participation by the United Nations, and explained Japan's efforts to support the reconstruction of Iraq, including the dispatch of support personnel from the Self Defense Forces (SDF). Secretary-General Annan agreed regarding the importance of international cooperation for the reconstruction of Iraq, and expressed his expectations for the role Japan would play.

Related Information:
The Issue of Iraq
Japan-Iraq Relations