Tokyo
Japan’s parliament voted this week to send soldiers to Iraq, after a wild shoving match broke out between supporters and opponents of the deployment. The Japanese people oppose the move by 55 percent to 33 percent, according to the latest poll. Japan’s pacifist constitution forbids it from taking military action except in self-defense, and legal experts said an Iraq mission comes right up to the line of what is constitutional. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi insisted the troops would only help rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and would not be deployed to areas where fighting is still going on. “We must fulfill our role in the international community,” he said. It would be the first deployment of Japanese troops to a combat zone since World War II.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with TrumpTalking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
-
This is what you should know about State Department travel advisories and warningsIn Depth Stay safe on your international adventures
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
