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| Iraq |
| Japan Will Delay Troop Deployment in Iraq |
| 2003-11-13 |
| Fallout from the latest bombing. The time isn’t right for Japan to send troops to Iraq, a government spokesman said Thursday, indicating that the deadly attack on Italian forces the day before may delay a deployment until next year. Japan’s government had hoped to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild the country by the end of 2003. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said the country still isn’t secure enough. ``We could send the troops if circumstances permit,’’ he said at a news conference. ``But there is no such situation.’’ Fukuda added that Japan still wants to participate in humanitarian support efforts soon. After Fukuda spoke, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the situation in Iraq ``requires monitoring.’’ He did not rule out sending troops by the end of the year. Koizumi had hoped his Cabinet would sign orders by the end of this week to send an advance party to southern Iraq next month to help with reconstruction and other non-combat work. It would have been a show of solidarity for U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who arrives in Japan on Nov. 14 for a three-day visit to confer with Japanese officials and meet U.S. troops stationed here. The government pushed a law through Parliament in July approving a troop deployment on the condition that peacemakers be sent only to non-combat areas. Koizumi has stood behind the coalition since fighting began in Iraq, but so far his support has been limited to justifying the war to a skeptical Japanese public and earmarking billions of dollars for humanitarian aid. Disappointing. Perhaps a little quiet diplomacy is needed? |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #11 I've got a suggestion: Instead of having Japanese troops deploy to Iraq, let's let them take over for the US forces in Korea. At the same time, let's withdraw the then-useless support forces from Japan that are there primarily to support our forces in Korea. That way we have both an additional force we can deploy to Iraq and the support forces we need to maintain them. The Koreans and Japanese can settle their past differences mano-a-mano, and we can get on with cleaning up the Middle East. I expect Japanese ability to fight will greatly increase the first time they're attacked by a wall of Korean "student protesters". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-11-13 10:56:49 PM |
| #10 You may be right in this case Carl... too many fire fights with Godzilla may have screwed up their tactics. I also noted piss poor AA against Mothra. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-13 7:53:50 PM |
| #9 Shipman, actually, when I was there in the 90s, I recall a local magazine (Tokyo Journal, IIRC) with an article about the US forces stationed in Japan, which quoted a Marine (?) officer as saying that the Japanese SDF couldn't defend a phone booth... And, any Japanese that has bothered to talk about the subject with me has firmly bought into the notion that Japan is a pacifist nation (it's the Yanks that are the violent maniacs, is the general attitude...) FWIW |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2003-11-13 7:19:32 PM |
| #8 but did they throw the Bushido out w/the bathwater? Heh. I'll bet it's like riding a bicycle. Cultures which fight well rarely loose the touch. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-13 1:55:15 PM |
| #7 "Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said the country still isn’t secure enough." -umm, last time I checked the SDF had these things called "weapons", they could use those things to provide for their own security. I know this isn't the Nippon of 60 yrs ago, (thank God), but did they throw the Bushido out w/the bathwater? |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2003-11-13 1:27:18 PM |
| #6 Murat - just because the euros have no backbone means nothing. Y Wrong move - it was the right move - put ourselves right in the middle of our enemies - now that is not a wrong move. You should be looking closer to home - I see you have not posted any articles regarding Turkey's military budget for 2004 - Iran was named as a primary focus for the Turkish defense establishment. If this is true Turkey will be back licking our boots! Got spanked by the Eurotrash - your country does not have many options strtegically - and Turkey has ambitions to lead the nations caspian area. For this to happen Iran will need to be dealt with - so start licking! |
| Posted by: Dan 2003-11-13 11:25:18 AM |
| #5 This is a Rifondazione comunista poster Murat. They miss the good old days of Lenin, Stalin, Togliatti, and Saddam (the left's Pinochet, without the economic development and civil society) as much as you do. Your comments on this matter are, as usual, absolutely worthless. |
| Posted by: BMN 2003-11-13 10:18:12 AM |
| #4 re: hammer and sickle. It's interesting how this seems more and more to be shaping up into another cold war-esque battle. All the same ol'usual suspects are the exact same people who are behind the scenes working toward the defeat of democracy in Iraq. Apparently, the muddled masses, like Murat, can't think that many moves ahead in life's game of chess. The Islamists are so blind in their hatred of Jews, that they are willing to ignore the reality of the brutal enemies they will be left to face, should democracy fail. As for America and their dependence on foreign oil....do you know how we spell fuel cell here in the good ol USA? KMA. |
| Posted by: B 2003-11-13 9:29:53 AM |
| #3 Rafael -- I think Murat interprets that to mean "friends and allies". |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-11-13 8:38:41 AM |
| #2 Wrong move my ass. Who was bluffing?? I didn't see anyone bluffing here. BTW, nice photo. See the hammer & sickle??? Does that mean anything to you??? |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-11-13 8:00:33 AM |
#1 The coordinated attacks of the insurgent’s looks like it is going to have an affect on secondary countries that provided troops. Japan is already backing off and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has agreed to dispatch no more than 3,000 troops to Iraq. The suicide bombing in this relatively quiet city prompted Portugal to send 128 elite police officers originally slated for Nasiriyah to Basra instead. Also the opposition in Italy can take its toll, what if the Italians are attacked again will they stay, nobody can answer.  The Dutch government shows already some allergic reactions and it will be no surprise to see them pulling out troops at light speed when they got targeted too. Even the CIA says now that there are more than 50.000 insurgents and growing. Iraq may not be a Vietnam, but still worse than Mogadishu. I guess the poker palls Bush, Rumsfeld, Powell and Wolfowitz made the wrong move this time, bluffing does not help here. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-11-13 7:44:11 AM |