Japan shift: mine ships are sent to sweep gulf

TOKYO In a decision marking a fundamental change in Japan'seconomics-only foreign policy, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu's Cabineton Wednesday approved the dispatch of minesweepers to the PersianGulf.

Six ships of the Maritime Self Defense Forces, staffed by 510sailors, will leave tomorrow, marking the first time since the end ofWorld War II that any Japanese armed forces have been sent overseasfor an operational mission.

The move - a direct result of the Persian Gulf war andinternational criticism of Japan for offering cash but no personnelin support of the allied forces - adds a military element to whatKaifu called the nation's "contribution to international …