Posted on 10/08/2007 11:01:34 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Ozawa in power would send SDF to U.N. force in Afghanistan
10/06/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Japanese troops would join a U.N. peacekeeping force in Afghanistan if Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) takes over the government, according to a proposal by party leader Ichiro Ozawa.
Ozawa made the proposal in the November issue of the monthly opinion journal Sekai (World), due out on Tuesday.
The proposal will serve as the basis for the opposition party's counterproposal to a government bill to extend Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for the U.S.-led war against terror.
In the article, the Minshuto chief severely criticizes Washington's unilateralism and renews his opposition to Japan's refueling mission for the U.S.-led multinational force.
Ozawa says he will send Japanese troops to join the United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan if "I take the reins of the government."
About 41,000 troops from 37 countries are serving in the ISAF to help the Afghan government maintain security.
"Active participation in U.N. activities, even if it were to result in the use of force, would rather meet the ideals of the Constitution," Ozawa writes.
Japan has dispatched Self-Defense Forces troops, police and civilians for U.N. peacekeeping operations under the PKO cooperation law of 1992.
But it has never joined the core operations in a U.N.-sanctioned peacekeeping force, even after the freeze on SDF participation in its main activities, such as monitoring a ceasefire, was lifted in 2001.
Ozawa contributed his views to the Iwanami Shoten publication as a counterstatement to an article in its October issue that criticized his stance against the refueling operation.
In the article, Kiyotaka Kawabata, a political affairs officer at the U.N. Headquarters, wrote Ozawa's grounds for opposition--that it is "America's war"--are insufficient for Japan not to participate.
Ozawa minces no words in criticizing the Bush administration's war in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq.
"The United States is not aware that its own isolationism and excessive pride are disturbing the harmony of the United Nations and international society," he writes. "There is no way to maintain world peace, both logically and practically, other than for international society as a whole to join hands to protect it."
Ozawa calls the Maritime SDF's refueling activities in the Indian Ocean a form of "logistic support to U.S. and other forces' operations that are not U.N. activities."
He goes on to say that Japan could never extend such support "unless exercising its right to collective self-defense is allowed almost unconditionally."
The government says Japan has the right as a sovereign state but the Constitution bans exercising that right.
Ozawa stresses at the same time that Japan "must be prepared to share responsibility for maintaining peace" and makes clear his intention to send troops to the ISAF.
He writes it is "natural" for Japan to also take part in the U.N.-peacekeeping activities in Darfur in civil war-stricken Sudan.
But Ozawa adds that the government must make a political decision on a case-by-case basis as to whether and how far Japan will participate.
In conclusion, he stresses the importance of assistance for overcoming poverty and rebuilding people's lives, which he says are "the most effective to fight against terrorism."(IHT/Asahi: October 6,2007)
Ping!
Good.
This will go over well.
If it helps, I was aware of this. I thought their Constitution limited their military involvement.
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