Koizumi scorns public anti-war voice

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has stated that he would not take into account public opinion in deciding whether Japan should support the use of force against Iraq or not.

He said this at a House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting on March 5 in answer to a question about recent opinion polls that show that nearly 80 percent of Japanese oppose a military attack on Iraq.

The Prime Minister said, "We will make mistakes if we follow public opinion, since it is not always right as history proves." (end)