Shii: Koizumi supports war only because U.S. makes the decisions

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo made the following comment on the one-on-one-debate on the war on Iraq he had in the Diet with the prime minister on March 19.

The war is likely to start as early as tomorrow, but U.S. President George W. Bush has not given any convincing explanation to justify the war. It is extraordinary to hear Prime Minister Koizumi repeat Bush's words and express support for the war without any explanation to its people that the war is needed.

The only thing that the prime minister gave as the "reason" to support war during his news conference on March 18 was: "Now that the conclusion is that the Hussein regime is not willing to disarm itself, I support the U.S. use of force."

I asked, "Who made the decision?" Prime Minister Koizumi's reply was long and convoluted and did not specify who made the decision. He tried to give the impression that the international community made that decision. He tried to give the impression that the international community made that decision when in fact the United Nations has not concluded that the Hussein regime is not willing to disarm.

By submitting the revised resolution to the U.N. Security Council, the United States, Britain, and Spain wanted the United Nations to make the decision. The text of the draft revised resolution included the phrase "(The U.N. Security Council) decides that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity."If the revised resolution had been adopted, it could have been said that the international community decided that the Hussein regime is not willing to comply with the disarmament obligations. In fact, the three countries were obliged to withdraw the revised resolution after they were unsuccessful in receiving the necessary support from UNSC permanent and non-permanent members. Neither the UNSC nor the U.N. inspection team has made the decision. The United States was alone in making the decision.

The prime minister's argument yesterday can be summarized as follows: "Now that the United States has decided that the Hussein regime is not willing to disarm, I support the U.S. use of force."

This is what Japan's subordination to the United States amounts to. The Koizumi Cabinet can't be treated as the government of a sovereign state. (end)