[AmericanInTokyo]

Prime Minister KOIZUMI from Japan is working behind the scenes, hard and fast, with foreign minister Kawaguchi, to extert maximum pressure on Mexico City.

I believe they are threatening them with a reduction in Japanese financial assistance.

[LiberalsWorstNightmare]

Wow! Dig THIS:

"Japan ups diplomatic pressure on Mexico to support US-backed war resolution Tuesday,March11,2003,12:13 PM Tokyo-AP -- Japan is pressuring Mexico to back a U-S resolution in the U-N Security Council.

Japan's prime minister is urging Mexican President Vicente Fox to adopt a March 17th ultimatum for Iraq to disarm or face war. He says international divisions put the U-N's authority at stake. Japan is not currently a member of the Security Council, but is joining the intense lobbying behind the scenes. The Asian nation declared its support for the resolution on Saturday. In the past 24 hours, phone calls went out from Tokyo to undecided Pakistan, Chile, Mexico, Guinea and Cameroon."

[Tamzee]

Thanks so much for the heads up about Prime Minister Koizumi... that is most reassuring! While old allies have fallen away, new ones have come charging forward :-)

[foreshadowed at waco]

I remember when PM Koizumi visited the WH shorly after GW was elected...seem to remember that he is a big fan of Westerns and our president gave him a signed Clint Eastwood poster which he loved...IMHO if we can get Japan to work alongside us on Iraq then it will be North Korea next...Japan sure has a vested interest in a nuclear free North Korea!