Japanese bishops oppose deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq

Published: 2003-12-10

TOKYO (CNS) -- The Japanese bishops said they oppose sending Japanese soldiers to join U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Goro Matsuura of Osaka, head of the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, wrote Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asking him to choose a way of contributing to the peace effort other than militarily, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. On Dec. 9, Koizumi's Cabinet approved a plan to dispatch units of Japan's Self Defense Forces to southeastern Iraq early next year. The Japanese Constitution does not allow the country to maintain a military or use force to settle international disputes. However, the government already amended the constitution to enable a Self Defense Forces flotilla to be sent to the Indian Ocean on an international mission "to prevent and end terrorism."

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