Japan OKs troops for Iraq after transfer
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-18 11:40

Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a plan for Japanese troops now in Iraq on a humanitarian mission to remain as part of a multinational force after an interim government takes control.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to let the military join other countries' forces in Iraq has divided the public at home, reflecting unease about putting Japanese troops in a combat zone more than a half-century after World War II.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks at a news conference marking the end of a five-month Parliament session at his official residence in Tokyo June 17, 2004. Koizumi defended his plan to have Japanese troops join other countries in a multinational force in Iraq, saying they would continue their humanitarian mission and would not fight insurgents. [AP]

The Cabinet's decision would let more than 500 Japanese soldiers continue their reconstruction work in southern Iraq, where they have been purifying water, rebuilding schools and providing other humanitarian support, Kyodo News agency said.

It would also mean that hundreds of other military personnel shipping supplies into Iraq from neighboring countries would remain, the report said. Japan's Jiji News carried a similar report.

Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution allowing a multinational force to remain in Iraq until 2006 to provide security after the transfer of power to an interim Iraqi government on June 30 this year.

Koizumi has been eager to help the U.S.-led coalition and raise Japan's international profile by authorizing the largest — and most dangerous — overseas deployment since World War II. He has insisted that Japanese troops will not fight and will stick to non-combat roles when they become part of the multinational force in Iraq.

But his decision has drawn criticism from both ruling and opposition lawmakers, who have protested that Koizumi committed to an extension of the military's duty without a public debate.

Opposition lawmakers say Japanese soldiers serving in a multinational force would violate Japan's pacifist constitution because they would no longer operate under their own command and might be asked to engage in fighting.

Japan's post-war constitution prohibits force to resolve disputes.

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