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80 per cent Japanese harbour fears of terrorism threat
Tokyo, Dec 01: Almost 80 per cent of Japanese believe that the government`s plans to dispatch troops to help with the reconstruction of Iraq will increase the threat of terrorist attacks targeting Japan.
Tokyo, Dec 01: Almost 80 per cent of Japanese believe that the government's plans to dispatch troops to help with the reconstruction of Iraq will increase the threat of terrorist attacks targeting Japan.
In a weekend survey conducted as news was breaking that two Japanese diplomats had been killed by gunmen in Iraq, 79 per cent of poll respondents said sending troops to help rebuild the Gulf country would make Japan a greater target of terrorism.
The deaths of the two diplomats Saturday marked Japan's first fatalities in Iraq since the US-led war began in March. The perpetrators or motive behind the attack were still unclear, but the news renewed public jitters about Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to provide non-combat troops to help with humanitarian and other non-combat support.
Fears about being drawn in to the terrorist zone of targets rose two weeks ago after an alleged al-Qaeda operative, Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, warned that if Japan sent troops, Tokyo "is the easiest place to destroy."
More than 80 per cent said they had reservations about sending troops to Iraq. Forty per cent said a dispatch should occur only after the security situation stabilizes, while 43 per cent were against any dispatch regardless of timing.
Bureau Report
In a weekend survey conducted as news was breaking that two Japanese diplomats had been killed by gunmen in Iraq, 79 per cent of poll respondents said sending troops to help rebuild the Gulf country would make Japan a greater target of terrorism.
The deaths of the two diplomats Saturday marked Japan's first fatalities in Iraq since the US-led war began in March. The perpetrators or motive behind the attack were still unclear, but the news renewed public jitters about Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pledge to provide non-combat troops to help with humanitarian and other non-combat support.
Fears about being drawn in to the terrorist zone of targets rose two weeks ago after an alleged al-Qaeda operative, Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, warned that if Japan sent troops, Tokyo "is the easiest place to destroy."
More than 80 per cent said they had reservations about sending troops to Iraq. Forty per cent said a dispatch should occur only after the security situation stabilizes, while 43 per cent were against any dispatch regardless of timing.
Bureau Report