JCP is opposed to sending SDF to Iraq: Shii

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference on May 28 stated that the JCP is opposed to the government plan to enact a bill to send the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq by extending the current Diet session.

The need now is for the contingency bills to be foiled in the House of Councilors and for the current Diet session to be closed on June 16 as scheduled, Shii stressed.

Shii stated, "The government's new 'Iraq bill' will go against the real situation in Iraq and undermine Japan's Constitution. The government is just following U.S. demands on Japan, first to 'show the flag,' and now 'boots on the ground' (to send the troops)."

The government is giving priority to sending SDF units to support the U.S.-British occupation forces in Iraq, which is unpardonable, Shii said:

First, sending SDF units to Iraq runs counter to what the Iraqi people are seeking in Iraqi reconstruction which should be led by the United Nations; the allied forces must be withdrawn from Iraq; the SDF, if dispatched, may have to point their guns at Iraqi citizens.

Second, if the SDF are sent to take part in allied forces' lawless occupation of Iraq, it will eventually lead to Japan's use of force in violation of the Constitution.

Japan's real support for Iraq's reconstruction should be carried out within the U.N. framework, such as the ongoing activities as the UN Development Program (UNDP), World Food Program (WFP), WHO, UNICEF, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Also, NGOs from over 80 countries, including Japan, are now working in Iraq, Shii pointed out. (end)