Japan's Self-Defense Forces may assist U.S. Forces in mopping-up operations in Iraq: Foreign Minister

Japan's foreign minister has made it clear that assisting U.S. forces in mopping-up operations against the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime will not be ruled out from activities of the Self-Defense Forces to be sent to Iraq under the proposed SDF dispatch law.

Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko gave this view in answer to Akamine Seiken of the Japanese Communist Party at the House of Representatives special committee meeting on June 25.

On the provision concerning the SDF's participation in activities in support of security operations in Iraq, Akamine asked if SDF units will assist in U.S. clean-up operations, including Operation Desert Scorpion.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro denied that the SDF will deploy in areas where U.S. forces are conducting clean-up operations because they are combat zones (where the SDF are not allowed to operate under the bill). Quoting a U.S. commander in Iraq as stating that the whole of Iraq is a combat zone, Akamine pointed out that it is completely impossible to tell combat zones from non-combat zones in Iraq.

Akamine then asked if the SDF will decline to refuel in non-combat zones for U.S. forces coming from combat zones. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi said that the SDF would respond to such requests on a case-by-case basis, thus actually confirming that the SDF, under the bill, would directly assist U.S. forces engaging in mopping-up operations in Iraq.

"This is unacceptable," Akamine stated, because it goes against the war-renouncing Constitution and approves the SDF to carry out direct support for the U.S. forces in Iraq.

The JCP lawmaker referred to the recent findings by a JCP team in Iraq in which he himself had attended. Instead of such military assistance by the SDF, Japan should carry out non-military support for Iraq, such as medical care, water supply, improvement of electricity and other infrastructure, as well as the reconstruction of agriculture in Iraq, he said.

Akamine stressed that there is no alternative but for such an unconstitutional war assistance bill to be foiled. (end)