Koizumi defends Iraqi troop dispatch as constitutional

Tokyo, Jan 21: Japan's dispatch of troops to Iraq is consistent with the nation's Pacifist Constitution, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said today, defending himself against allegations that Tokyo's largest and most dangerous deployment of soldiers since World War II is illegal.

Japan's constitution, adopted in 1947 during the US postwar occupation of the country, renounces the use of force in resolving international disputes. The largest opposition bloc, the Democratic Party, says Japanese forces in Iraq could violate the constitution
if they come under attack and have to return fire in self-defence.

But Koizumi told lawmakers during questioning in Parliament that the troops will provide humanitarian assistance in a ``non-combat zone'' in southern Iraq and have
instructions to evacuate if fighting erupts nearby. Moreover, it would be legal for them to use their weapons in self-defence, he stressed.

But Koizumi told lawmakers during questioning in Parliament that the troops will provide humanitarian assistance in a ``non-combat zone'' in southern Iraq and have
instructions to evacuate if fighting erupts nearby. Moreover, it would be legal for them to use their weapons in self-defence, he stressed.

Bureau Report