Around the perimeter of the property, members of the self-defence force have taken up positions at five-metre intervals.

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Nowhere more so than in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, where the marines share a large coastal base with Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force.

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In January, when the third of their commanders in as many months was bundled into a vehicle by an armed gang, hundreds of men, and some women, joined the self-defence force.

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British defence sources said the rules of engagement stipulated the NATO troops could only use force in self-defence or if the safety of the soldiers was threatened.

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