U.S. must stop unlawful actions now: JCP Koizumi

In the House of Councilors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on April 15, Koizumi Chikashi of the Japanese Communist Party asked Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko if the U.S. and British forces have provided Japan with information about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, which they used as an excuse for conducting this war.

Instead of answering that question, Kawaguchi said, "Such weapons cannot be found easily. Further search under a new Iraqi government will be necessary to find them."

Koizumi stated that the war was launched with the aim of toppling the Saddam Hussein government. He criticized the Japanese government for supporting the United States which has failed to show any valid reasons for waging the war against Iraq.

Stating that the U.S. forces have violated international law by using cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells, Koizumi stated that they must immediately stop using such weapons of indiscriminate killing. The foreign minister said that the U.S. government is trying to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. (end)