foreign

Foreign minister insists on Japan's cooperation in war on Iraq

Japan's Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko believes that Japan should support a possible U.S. attack on Iraq. This was in an article she wrote for a Japanese monthly magazine.

Kawaguchi's article for monthly magazine Ronza published on February 5 was entitled, "Changing Security Environment and Japan's Diplomacy."

The foreign minister stressed that if military action against Iraq by the U.S. and other nations becomes inevitable, Japan should closely cooperate with the international community, including its ally, the U.S. "If necessary, Japan will have to establish a domestic system to make its contribution to the international community," she added.

Kawaguchi also mentioned the need for Japan's Self-Defense Forces to join multinational forces based on U.N. resolutions.

Although the Japanese Constitution prohibits the threat or use of force, Kawaguchi advocated that the government should ease related regulations so that the SDF can use force overseas. (end)