Japan Press Weekly

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2007 October 31 - November 6 [POLITICS]

JCP Kasai urges prime minister to stop assistance in U.S. war and start supporting Afghan efforts for political resolution

In a House of Representatives special committee meeting on October 30, Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira urged Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo to stop assisting the U.S.-led war of retaliation against Afghanistan and conduct diplomacy to support the nation’s efforts to produce a political settlement.

While stating, “It is important to promote the peace process. The government is willing to support this,” the prime minister stressed that the Self-Defense Forces’ refueling mission in the Indian Ocean should be continued.

Citing a U.S. Fifth Fleet senior official’s remarks that they are currently waging three wars, Kasai pointed out that the U.S. forces are engaging in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Indian Ocean as one.

Kasai revealed that the U.S. landing ship Juno, which constitutes part of the Essex expeditionary strike group, carried out operations in Iraq immediately after being refueled by a Maritime SDF supply ship. He stressed that the MSDF refueling operations are nothing but assistance in the war.

The JCP Lower House member stressed that in Afghanistan efforts are underway to promote the process for peace and reconciliation centering on the negotiations between the Karzai administration and Taliban who are not part of Al Qaeda.

Kasai pointed out that the Afghan Senate last May adopted a resolution calling for a halt to military operations against the Taliban while the government was making an approach to the Taliban seeking negotiations with them. Stressing that the U.S. military operations are obstructing a political settlement, he urged Fukuda to stop supporting the military operations.

“The Japanese government must concentrate its efforts on encouraging and facilitating the peace and reconciliation process,” Kasai expressed.