Troop dispatch to Iraq is incompatible with peace in Asia -- Akahata editorial, December 13The summit of Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended after adopting the Tokyo Declaration.
The declaration reaffirmed principles including "respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, renunciation of threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and non-interference."
Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro in his meetings with the leaders of ASEAN countries asked for their understanding of Japan's dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq.
But his attempts failed. For example, the Indonesian president at a joint press conference with Koizumi stressed the need for a U.N.-led framework, thus indicating her disagreement with the SDF dispatch.
Need for U.N.-led framework
The summit again brought to light that the Japan-U.S. military alliance, which Prime Minister Koizumi cites to justify Japan's deployment of troops to Iraq, is incompatible with the trend in Asia.
In October, Prime Minister Koizumi declined to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) of the ASEAN summit in Bali. However, during the Tokyo summit he signed it. Asked by the press to explain why he changed his mind, Koizumi said, "It was a symbolic gesture," thus trying to water down the significance of signing the treaty.
The TAC upholds "the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion."
If the prime minister is true to the TAC, he would not be able to send the SDF to assist in the U.S.-British occupation of Iraq.
The Iraq war was and is a war in which the Bush administration put into practice the U.S. strategy of preemptive attack that destroys the world order of peace established by the United Nations Charter. This clearly shows that the Iraq war is incompatible with the TAC which seeks "to promote peace and stability in the spirit and principles of the Charter of the United Nations."
Leaders of ASEAN countries were reluctant to support Prime Minister Koizumi's call for their understanding of the SDF dispatch which he describes as "humanitarian and reconstruction assistance," because they know that their attitudes toward the Iraq war have a crucial bearing on the world and a regional fundamental choice between an international order allowing the United States to act as tyrant and an order of peace based on the U.N. Charter.
In fact, deployment of the SDF to Iraq will be to support the U.S.-British occupation forces in combat, far from providing "humanitarian and reconstruction assistance." Contrary to helping the Iraqi people in their self-reliant efforts to reconstruct the country, the SDF will only prop up the occupation forces, give rise to more terrorist attacks, and further impede the Iraqi people's self-reliant national reconstruction.
To expedite Iraq's reconstruction, it is necessary to end the occupation without delay and replace it with a U.N.-based framework of reconstruction assistance.
This is obvious from the statement by the Indonesian president stressing the need for a U.N.-led framework and from the criticism and apprehension expressed by the Malaysian prime minister, stating that involvement with greater U.N. participation is desirable. They clearly expressed their views in talks with Koizumi.
The dispatch of the SDF to Iraq to assist in the lawless war of aggression and occupation goes against the growing tide calling for peace in Asia based on non-alignment, no use of nuclear weapons, and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Sending troops leads to Japan's isolation
It stands to reason that Asian countries expressed criticisms of the Koizumi Cabinet's approval of the "Basic Plan" for sending the SDF on the eve of Japan-ASEAN summit in Tokyo.
If the Koizumi Cabinet dispatches the SDF to Iraq in defiance of criticisms, Japan will be even more isolated in Asia.
If Japan wants to avoid repeating the past mistake of invading Asian countries and establish truly peaceful and friendly relations with them, it is essential for the Japanese people to prevent the SDF from being deployed. (end)