Baghdad, Iraq ? Japan put off a decision Thursday on sending troops to Iraq, a day after the deadliest attack on coalition forces since the war, and South Korea capped its contribution at 3,000 soldiers — new setbacks to U.S. hopes for easing the pressure on its forces.

U.S. troops pounded suspected guerrilla targets in the capital for a second straight night under a new “get-tough” campaign against the insurgency. And the top American administrator, L. Paul Bremer, headed back to Baghdad after two days of White House talks with orders that Iraqis should take more responsibility for governing.

On the eve of a visit to Tokyo by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Japan decided the time isn’t right to send its forces to Iraq, indicating its deployment might be delayed until next year.

Japan had hoped to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild the country by the end of 2003, but chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda backed off, saying Iraq is still too unstable.

“Japan has said it wants to think about the timing” of its deployment, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said in Washington. “We understand that.”

South Korea also decided to limit its contribution to 3,000 troops, President Roh Moo-hyun announced. South Korea also ordered its 464 troops in southern Iraq to suspend operations outside coalition bases. Denmark also rejected a push by two Danish soldiers’ unions to bolster its 410-member force by 100 more troops.

In Washington, a senior U.S. official said the Bush administration was proposing elections in the first half of next year and formation of a government before a constitution is written.

For months, the administration has insisted that Iraqi leaders write a constitution and hold elections before power shifts from U.S. occupiers to Iraqis. But on Thursday, Rice said the Iraqi Governing Council had resisted that American timeline.

“It is still important that the Iraqi people have a permanent constitution and elections for a permanent government,” Rice said. “But what is also important is that we find ways to accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqis — they are clamoring for it, they are, we believe, ready for it.”

Italian soldiers of the 151st Sassari Brigade patrol the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya a day after the Italian paramilitary headquarters was attacked in the city. Twelve Carabinieri paramilitary police were killed Wednesday, along with four Army soldiers, an Italian civilian and an Italian documentary filmmaker. An Iraqi doctor said that 13 non-Italian bodies were recovered.