Japan completes troop pullout from southern Iraq

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) The last contingent of Japanese troops pulled out of Iraq today, bringing to an end the Japanese military's riskiest and most ambitious overseas mission since World War Two.

The last of the 600-member troop contingent arrived in Kuwait today, 10 days after the first group left the war-torn country, Japanese media reported.

The troops based in the southern city of Samawa in Muthanna province had provided humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in the area since early 2004.

Japan's troop dispatch, a symbol of Tokyo's willingness to put ''boots on the ground'' for its close ally the United States, won praise from Washington.

But the dispatch was opposed by many at home including critics who said it violated Japan's pacifist constitution.

The troops began their pullout on July 7, six days before an international coalition force in the province transferred security operations to the Iraqis on July 13.

REUTERS SHB RN1754