Japanese protest at troops for Iraq

SOME 6,000 people staged a rally against sending Japanese troops to Iraq yesterday, a day before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was expected to give the final go-ahead for the dispatch of the core group of ground troops.

Demonstrators flocked to Hibiya Park near Tokyo's Imperial Palace, carrying banners which read: "Stop sending the Self-Defence Forces to Iraq. We don't need a war."

The rally, featuring speeches, a dance show and rock concerts ahead of a demonstration march, came on the eve of Koizumi's planned order on Monday for the dispatch of the main contingent of Japan's 600-strong force.