Japan reiterates support to US on Iraq war

Agence France-Presse, Tokyo, 23 March 2003

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Sunday underscored his support for the war on Iraq, describing the United States as an absolutely invaluable ally.

Addressing a graduation ceremony at the National Defence Academy in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, he said: When the United States, an absolutely invaluable ally of our country, is sacrificing itself, it is natural for our country to back the move as much as possible.

We never overlook the fact that Iraq breached a number of UN resolutions for the past 12 years, Koizumi told some 400 graduates.

We would be faced with a dangerous situation when a dangerous dictator possesses dangerous mass-destruction weapons, he said. It is not another person’s affair.

Despite a vast majority of Japanese opposing the war in Iraq and his own approval rating, Koizumi is stepping up his support for the US action.

But he has stressed that Tokyo’s support only extended to moral backing and a contribution to the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution bans the use of force in settling international disputes.

Public support for Koizumi’s cabinet fell marginally to 42 per cent from 44 per cent, the Asahi Shimbun said in its survey taken on Thursday and Friday after the first missile attacks on Baghdad.

The prime minister’s vow to support the war on Iraq is seen likely to have turned many women away, leaving some impact, said the daily, which surveyed 978 Japanese adults.

Koizumi’s popularity, which soared above 80 per cent when he took office 23 months ago with a platform of reform, has sagged below 50 per cent in recent months as he failed to kick-start a struggling economy burdened by huge bad loans.

At the graduation ceremony, Koizumi also said his government planned to upgrade its defence system to intercept missiles from North Korea.

It is necessary to review our present (military) structure and equipment so that we can respond to a new type of threat such as terrorist attacks or ballistic missiles, Koizumi said.

Debate on a missile defence intensified after North Korea test-fired two missiles in the Sea of Japan earlier this year.

North Korea is believed to have deployed 100 Rodong-1 missiles with a range of 1,300 kilometers, meaning they can strike anywhere in Japan.