Japan to withdraw ground troops from Iraq--PM

TOKYO, June 20 (Reuters) Japan has decided to withdraw its troops from Iraq, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said today, bringing to an end the Japanese military's riskiest and most ambitious overseas mission since World War Two.

Tokyo has kept about 550 ground troops in Samawa, southern Iraq, since February 2004 on a non-combat mission.

The decision comes a day after Iraq's prime minister said his forces planned to take over security in the southern province of Muthanna, where the British oversee a multinational contingent that includes Japanese troops.

Japan's troop dispatch -- a symbol of Tokyo's willingness to put ''boots on the ground'' for its close ally, the United States, and to take a bigger global security role -- won praise from Washington but was opposed by many at home.

With their activities limited under Japan's pacifist constitution, the troops have been working on humanitarian and reconstruction projects and have relied heavily on British and Australian forces for protection.

Reuters CH GC0948