Occupation authority describes Japan as an ally

"Japanese join Coalition forces" was a headline in the February 20 issue of The Scimitar, a weekly paper published by the Coalition forces in Iraq.

The Scimitar points out that the dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces is the country's first deployment to a combat zone since WWII and is also the first deployment without a United Nations mandate. Colonel Sam Palmer, headquarters chief, says in the paper, "Now, Japan is one of our greatest allies. It's historic moment, as the Japanese government is now willing to permit its military to take its place among other nations in security operations and in the war against terrorism."

Japanese Communist Party representative Koizumi Chikashi at the Upper House special committee meeting of February 25 brought up differences in the statements between the Japanese government and The Scimitar by saying, "The paper clearly states that the SDF is a member of the Coalition."

Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko replied that papers often use such an easy expression to let people understand things, and Defense Chief Ishiba Shigeru said, "What the paper reports is not true."

The Japanese Constitution prohibits Japan from taking part in military occupations in other countries because it amounts to exercising the right of belligerency, and before dispatching the SDF to Iraq the government kept arguing that the SDF would act on their own and not assist in the occupation administration. (end)