TOKYO, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan is considering putting its diplomatic missions abroad under protection of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), said a senior Foreign Ministry official Tuesday.

    "We need to establish a new legal framework to secure the safety of Japan's diplomatic missions and diplomats. We are studying the issue at the Foreign Ministry," Kyodo News quoted Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa as saying after a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

    Aisawa said this will be realized after the SDF law and other relevant laws are revised, adding this issue will be discussed soon.

    Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Defense Agency Chief Shigeru Ishiba also delivered similar messages later, Kyodo said.

    The move may trigger controversy as Japan's pacifist constitution forbids using force to solve international dispute.

    The comments came after two Japanese diplomats were shot dead Saturday in northern Iraq and amid the nation's tug-of-war on whether the SDF should go to Iraq when the security situation is going from bad to worse.

    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has not yet decided on the timing of the dispatch. He said Tuesday Japan "must send the SDF to Iraq if necessary," and he would explain his thoughts to the public. Enditem