the koizumi administration originally ordered the controversial formation and deployment of the jirsg at the request of the united states. this marks a significant turning point in japan's history, as it represents the first foreign deployment of japanese troops since the end of world war ii, excluding those deployments conducted under united nations auspices. public opinion regarding the deployment was sharply divided, especially given that article 9 of the constitution of japan prohibits the use of military forces unless for self-defence purposes (operating in iraq seemed, at best, tenuously connected to that mission).