A sign at the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group camp located approximately 6km west ...

A sign at the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group camp located approximately 6km west of Camp Smitty. The sign reads 'For the Bright Future of Iraq' and includes the Iraqi and Japanese flags. In the foreground are two wooden posts with Japanese writing on them. The Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group was formed by the Japanese government at the request of the United States and marks the first non United Nations foreign deployment of Japanese troops since the end of the Second World War. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution forbids the use of force as a means to settling international disputes, thus the deployment of these troops to Iraq is contentious within Japan. The Japanese troops relied on Australian soldiers to provide a secure environment while they undertook their duties in Iraq. Camp Smitty was a multinational camp located approximately 7 kms from the town of As Samawah. The camp was set up by the Americans in early 2003 adjacent to an abandoned train depot, and was later named in honour of Lance Corporal Jonothan L Smith, a US Marine who was killed after his truck was hit with an improvised explosive device. The camp was occupied by Dutch troops between July 2003 and March 2005, when it was handed over to the British. Australian troops occupied the camp in April 2005 until it was closed in May 2006 and the AMTG was relocated to Dhi Qar Province.