Irresponsible military support for U.S. -- Akahata editorial, September 27,
2001 (excerpts)

In his talks with U.S. President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Koizumi
Jun'ichiro promised to provide logistical support in a U.S. military
retaliation against the terrorists in such areas as transportation and
supply, plus intelligence by SDF ships.

Prior to the talks in Washington, Koizumi stated that the policy of not
sending SDF units into dangerous areas can no longer be tenable, indicating
that they can be deployed in combat areas.

Koizumi presented the United States with the seven-point plan as a public
pledge.

SDF into combat areas

Koizumi said that Japan's support will be limited to activities in
non-combat situations. But, for the SDF to provide logistical support for
the U.S. in combat will clearly be tantamount to an act of war, which in
turn will expose SDF troops to enemy attacks.

The government plan indicates that the SDF will carry out joint military
operations with the U.S. Forces in real combat areas.

Koizumi argues that these steps give proof of Japan and the United States
being bound by an alliance. How can he explain that the Japan-U.S. Security
Treaty has been upgraded to one of allowing Japan to send SDF units anywhere
in the world to serve U.S. wars.

With this pledge he made to the U.S., Koizumi declared that Japan will
begin to exercise the right to collective self-defense, which the government
has so far rejected as unconstitutional. His arguments thus override past
parliamentary decisions and even the Law for Measures to Deal with
Situations in Areas Surrounding Japan.

Opposition to U.S. retaliatory actions is growing even among member
countries of NATO, although the North Atlantic Treaty provides for the right
to collective self-defense. It is quite extraordinary for Japan's government
to unequivocally declare that it will engage in military actions in support
of U.S. operations. This is an unprecedented scheme of Koizumi, who, by
making the maximum use of the terrorist incident, now wants to rush to send
SDF units abroad.

The U.S. plan to launch a retaliatory war cannot be justified by
international law.

On the contrary, an increasing number of people throughout the world are
calling for opposition to a new U.S. war, saying that terrorism must be
eliminated by justice and reason.

How to eliminate terror

If Japan's government really wishes to play an international role in
rooting out terrorism, it must take the lead in organizing joint
international actions, demanding that the perpetrators, organizers, and
supporters of the recent acts of terrorism be apprehended, brought to
justice, and severely punished by law.

Over the past half century, the Japanese people have successfully
defended the Constitution which states that Japan renounces war as a means
of settling international disputes. Now that the Koizumi Cabinet is making a
decisive step toward taking part in a U.S. retaliatory war, we must rise up
to foil the dangerous scheme. (end)