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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (34793)	1/12/2004 2:07:41 AM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Maybe a little disconcerting to the Joint Command. Japan says it won't help coalition troops under fire in Iraq Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba said in a newspaper article published Monday that British forces in Iraq should expect no military help from Japanese troops even if they are under fire. The Times of London quoted Ishiba as saying that Japanese troops to be sent to Iraq will be prohibited from helping coalition comrades under attack because of legal restrictions. Under Japan's pacifist Constitution, Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops are not allowed to use weapons except in defense of themselves or of civilians under their protection. "It is impossible for the U.K. commander to rely on Japan's support in such a situation," Ishiba was quoted as telling the newspaper. "Japan's task is not about improving public order. Under law, it is to provide humanitarian support and support other countries logistically," Ishiba said in a dispatch from Tokyo on the eve of his visit to London. Japan plans to send some 700 SDF troops to Iraq for reconstruction work, mainly the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, where Dutch troops operate under the command of British officers based in Basra. Ishiba arrived in London on Sunday, the first leg of a six-day trip that will also take him to the Netherlands and France on a mission to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq with his counterparts in the three countries. Ishiba is scheduled to meet with British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon on Monday, Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp on Wednesday and French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on Thursday. (Kyodo News) japantoday.com lurqer