[Trust but Verify]

"There is a concern that this may give Iraq the wrong message,"

Do ya think?

[MrConfettiMan]

The three nations united behind proposals...which called for a doubling or tripling of the number of UN arms inspectors.

The very notion that the inspectors, if only there are enough of them and if only they had enough time, are going to suddenly stumble upon an extremely large warehouse in the middle of the desert--like a mirage--containing all of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction is laughable.

[Dog Gone]

Maybe the French are doing us a favor. If the world was united, Saddam might start making concessions that would prevent or postpone a war, while actually continuing to hide his weapons.

With the world divided, Saddam has no reason to cooperate. Of course, Saddam is making another one of his major miscalculations. President Bush said that Saddam's game is over, and it doesn't matter what the French or anyone else say about it.

[phasma proeliator]

I'm starting to like the Japanese more and more.

[b4its2late]

1. Good for Japan.

2. They better not give any notice to Iraq on U-2 flyovers.

3. They should not be called UN Inspectors, because Iraq is blocking every attempt to inspect anything. They should begin calling them UN Investigators.

[Psalm 73]

I understand what the French and Germans are up to, but why the heck is Russia crawling into bed with them?
Oh yeah - and a big THANX to our Japanese allies.

[nicmarlo]

She also dismissed the acceptance of U-2 spy planes as proof of Iraqi compliance. "This does not amount to pro-active cooperation. It is something they should have done all along."

But, don't the Japanese, whom we defeated, believe that we are only going after Iraq to take away their oil and spread out imperialistic tentacles? I mean, isn't that what we ALWAYS do to defeated countries? You mean, Japan, the country we bombed (albeit, this is very sad to have to have done), BELIEVES AMERICA, BELIEVES BUSH? and not Saddam? Wow, may wonders never ceases!!! < /sarcasm >

[DoctorMichael]

Wow! This startled me!

The Japanese sit like Buddhas most of the time. They seem to comment very little about foreign affairs unless they are really pissed off about something in their OWN hemisphere (like Kim Jung Il sending a missle over their islands a few years back or Kim's recent radioactive-revelations).

So for them to comment on a Middle Eastern problem, AND be critical of OUR NATO partners...............very interesting.

[Walkin Man]

Gee, I guess we really do have some allies besides the Brits in this world, thanks Japan!

[kabar]

Japan understands the need to maintain international unity. Their own national interests depend on it. The nuclear capabilities of the DPRK and the fact that Japan gets most of its oil from the Middle East are important considerations in the Japanese support of the US position.

[MEGoody]

"There is a concern that this may give Iraq the wrong message,"

Actually, it gives the right message. Germany, France and Russian are headed by pansies.

[martianagent]

Anybody know anything about the man in the picture? There was a Yasuo Fukuda who used to attend the grad school of economics at GW University and teach judo at the old Washington Dojo on Florida Ave. in the early 60's and I'm wondering if this is the same guy.

[TheBattman]

Thank you Japan.

[Mr. Mojo]

Japan wants us to get on with the business of dealing with the North Korean nuke situation (an issue of vital national security interest for them), and they know we can't do that until we take care of Saddam first. This is why the stalling tactics of Russia, France, and Germany are beginning to tick them off.

[Billthedrill]

Japan sees it as a very bad precedent when a small minority of countries with a vested interest in the status quo can exercise veto authority over a military operation that is run in an effort to enforce international accords. Where such accords are blatantly violated with no consequences whatever, a country that has made specific efforts to minimize its own military investment in accordance with its own constitution is at a perilous disadvantage when it shares a neighborhood with an armed madman. Which it does, as it has found out in recent months.

It is concerned with more than North Korea, actually. Were China to move on Taiwan the ability of a country such as Syria or Senegal to stymie international efforts to address the situation means essentially that international efforts to address any situation are immediately irrelevant.

Japan does not want to rearm, at least not at this time. It has other economic priorities and an aging demographic - it does have a friend in the U.S. that can buy it some time were rearmament to become necessary, but in the absence of some vestige of collective security outside that bilateral arrangement it will have no choice but to begin the rearmament process immediately. It is not simply a matter of pride, it is simple common sense. One does not bet the future of one's country on another country's ability and willingness to defend one's interests. A U.S. crippled by a sudden disaster or other commitment of forces may be perfectly willing to help out but unable to do so. That is the real lesson of the current Iraq and North Korean situations.

[putupon]

Honda, Toyota, Jaguar-BUY!

BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Puegot, frog wine, kraut beer, -BOYCOTT

[Route66]

"There is a concern that this may give Iraq the wrong message," the government's top spokesman Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Japanese are extremely polite and prone to understatement.
But right now, I would pay to see this same guy just step to the podium, address the French and Germans, point his finger and say....
'You guys stop encouraging Saddam and all the other loonies with talk that this is not going to happen. If you don't have the integrity and courage to stand with the rest of us, then just sit down...shut up...and stay out of the way!'

[Stefan Stackhouse]

Well, this is nice. . . a nation that has claimed to be our friend, still actually acting like a friend. Refreshing!

[Dr. Eckleburg]

As the Little Red Hen said to her chicks, "If you don't help make the bread, you don't get to eat the bread."

To the victor go the spoils. More for us.

[Adder]

Thank you, Japan.