Japan's Iraq mission expires on December 14, meaning the new decision will allow Japan to extend its mission until December 14, 2005. Koizumi said he will decide whether Japan will extend the mission again next year by assessing the situation in Iraq at that time. Despite the planned government decision, safety concerns for the Japanese troops in Iraq have been rising among the general public. Five Japanese - two diplomats, two journalists and a young tourist who was beheaded - have been killed in Iraq since the start of the U.S.-led war. While no troops have been killed or injured, the Japanese base in Samawah was also been the target recently for rocket attacks. "Nothing is 100 per cent for sure. I recognize that the situation remains severe. We will take appropriate measures to respond to changes in the situation," Koizumi told a press conference. The latest announcement came ahead of a planned decision on Friday about outlining new defense policy guidelines for Japan, to be updated for the first time since 1995. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the new defense plan, lasting from April 1, 2005, through 2009, will include plans to research and develop a long-range missile. The newspaper said the Defense Agency plans to study use of the new missile not to attack other countries, but "as a measure to counter a possible invasion on a remote island several hundred kilometers away from mainland Japan". Japan's current ground-based missiles are only capable of hitting air or seaborne targets and not long-range targets. --SPA 1312 Local Time 1012 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/223582