It was just over one year ago, in March, 2003, that the United States launched a full scale offensive in Iraq. And though the reasons given for going to war have since shown to be less than convincing, the fact is there remains a lot of work left to do, if the Iraqi people are to build a future for themselves. A large part of that work involves the rebuilding of cities and infrastructure destroyed during weeks of military bombing.

As part of this project, the Japanese government has broken with the tradition, and sent its self-defence force to Iraq to aid with reconstruction, the first such overseas mission in nearly 60 years. With the cooperation and aid of the Dutch army, they hope to help the battered and war-torn country move one step closer to being a free and open society, not an easy task by any means.

In the middle of this operation is The Foreigner's own Eelco Hoenselaar, who's taken a job translating between the Japanese and Dutch officers. In his account of day to day operations in Iraq, our feature story this month, Eelco shows the stressful and time consuming nature of this kind of mission. From the fake (and real) mines on the road and the ever-present danger of terrorist attacks, to the faces of local citizens who are trying to better their lives, it isn't an easy world to adjust to. Eelco will be reporting from Iraq for the next several months. Please wish him well, as we do.

March also marked The Foreigner - Japan's one-year anniversary, a milestone for our magazine team. With this long-awaited seventh edition of The Foreigner finally out on the web, we start a new chapter in our history as we welcome another new writer to our writing team, Sarah Richards. She has written two fascinating pieces on her experience as a vegetarian in Japan, and the everyday dangers you face just walking down a street in downtown Tokyo. Never mind the Iraqi dustbowl. Japan, it's a jungle out there!

So if you're ready to test your mettle, put your feet up, grab another cup of java, and read on.

Matt N. Goerzen

Next issue: The Foreigner will look at the forcible movement of Japanese citizens from their homes in Vancouver, Canada, and their eventual resettlement across the country during the Second World War.