 The still neutral United States had already been contracted to provide aircraft, and there were 4,000 "Tirailleurs sénégalais" in Djibouti that could be shipped to Indochina in case of need.In Indochina, Decoux had under his command 32,000 regulars, plus 17,000 auxiliaries, although they were all ill-equipped.On 30 August 1940, the Japanese foreign minister, Yōsuke Matsuoka, approved a draft proposal submitted by his French colleague, Paul Baudouin, whereby Japanese forces could be stationed in and transit through Indochina only for the duration of the Sino-Japanese War.