Japan Press Weekly

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2016 July 6 - 12 [POLITICS]

Tokyo has yet to admit to its mistake in supporting 2003 invasion of Iraq

The Chilcot report published on July 6 points out that Britain’s participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which then Prime Minister Tony Blair had promoted, was based on many misjudgments and wrong policy decisions.

The long-awaited report consisting of 13 volumes, containing 2.6 million words, revealed that London was deeply involved in the lawless war, following Washington’s lead and ignoring domestic and international public opinion.

At the end of 2012, the Japanese government published a four-page “summary” of an inquiry report on the Iraq War. The report itself has not yet been released. Surprisingly, the summary stated that the then government response to the war was “generally appropriate”. The current government led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo sticks to this view.

Two days before the U.S. launched the invasion, on March 18, 2003, then PM Koizumi Jun’ichiro expressed support for the U.S. use of military force against Iraq. The ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties also endorsed the prime minister’s position.

As the reason for supporting the U.S. action, Koizumi cited the fact that the Saddam Hussein regime had often violated the UNSC resolution which obliged the country to reduce armaments.

Koizumi also claimed that the United States is an “indispensable ally” to Japan and that supporting Washington would lead to securing Japan’s national interests. This is a servile attitude toward the U.S. just as that taken by the Blair administration.

In May 2003, PM Koizumi met with President George W. Bush and referred to bilateral relations as a “global alliance”. Two months later, in defiance of mounting public opposition, the ruling parties forced through the Diet the Law Concerning Special Measures on Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance in Iraq. Based on this law, the Koizumi administration dispatched the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Iraq. It was the first time after World War II that Japan sent its troops to a foreign country in a state of war. The dispatch of SDF units to Iraq led to the 2015 forcible enactment of the so-called war legislation and the Abe government’s aim to revise Japan’s pacifist Constitution.

The U.S. invaded Iraq, insisting that Baghdad was hiding weapons of mass destruction. In the end, however, no such weapons were found. The U.S. occupation of Iraq brought about a dramatic increase in terrorism and sectarian conflicts which nearly destroyed the country. Tokyo’s support for the U.S.-led Iraq War turned out to be a terrible mistake.

The Abe administration should immediately disclose all information about Japan’s support for the war, including the inquiry report, and set up an independent committee to investigate the then government’s decision-making process.

Past related article:
> Shii speaks on danger of war bills at JCP 93rd anniv. meeting [July 19 & 21, 2016]