PanOrient News | Foreign Minister Maehara Seeks Review of Japan's Decision to Back Iraq War

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Diplomacy

Foreign Minister Maehara Seeks Review of Japan's Decision to Back Iraq War

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara called for a review of his country's decision to support the U.S.-led war on Iraq that was launched in 2003.

"It is necessary to reexamine, in light of historical evidence, whether it was a right thing for Japan to support" the war, Japanese media quoted Maehara at a House of Councilors committee meeting as saying.

"The United States and Britain are reviewing their own policies, and Japan also should do the same," Maehara said.

On March 17, 2003, Japanese then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi declared his support of the war on Iraq. Addressing a graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, Koizumi 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 would be faced with a dangerous situation when a dangerous dictator possesses dangerous weapons of mass-destruction."

Koizumi reportedly believed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) would turn up in Iraq and that the war on that country was legitimate.

Japan under Koizumi’s government dispatched Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah to provide "humanitarian and reconstruction assistance" there. Japanese Air Self-defense Force also provided logistical support to the U.S. forces in Iraq. Japan also pledged 5 billion dollars for "the reconstruction of Iraq."

A group of Japanese lawmakers has established a committee in December 2010 to investigate their country's involvement in the Iraq War. The committee is headed by Tsuyoshi Saito, a member of the House of Representatives and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.

Tsuyoshi Saito told PanOrient News "it’s important to report to our people if that decision (to support the war on Iraq) was wrong or right.”

Photo: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi delivers a speech at a ceremony for completing the organization of the unit of the JASDF that was dispatched to Iraq.
Courtesy of Japanese Prime Minister Office.

PanOrient News