March 20, 2010

The Hatoyama Cabinet has expressed that it does not recognize the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to the Iraq war as violating the Japanese Constitution. The latest statement contradicts what the Democratic Party of Japan claimed before it became a ruling party.

This was indicated by a statement the cabinet adopted on March 19 in answer to a questionnaire submitted by Japanese Communist Party Lower House member Akamine Seiken.

In response to a question whether or not the cabinet considers the use of force against Iraq as violating international laws, the statement said that the then government had acknowledged the action against Iraq as approved by resolutions adopted by the U.N. Security Council, thereby avoiding making a clear judgment.

Referring to the then government’s decision to support the Iraq war and send the SDF to Iraq, the cabinet expressed the opinion that different decisions could be made but their verification is a future task, again showing no intention to verify them.

As an opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan claimed that the Iraq war violated the U.N. Charter and other international laws and opposed the 2003 special law on Iraq which enabled the government to dispatch the SDF to Iraq.
- Akahata, March 20, 2010