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.

"I'm very disappointed that Prime Minister Koizumi is going to make such a silly decision," said Yukari Nojima, a 20-year-old student taking part in the demonstration. "What people in Iraq need is foods, medicines and comfortable places to live, not weapons and troops."

Rei Shiba, an organiser of the rally, said: "A majority of Japanese oppose the dispatch, while the constitution bans us from sending troops, and then Prime Minister Koizumi ignores the facts. I doubt democracy in Japan works well."

The country's post-war constitution bans the use of force in settling international disputes, and the deployment plan has aroused fears among neighbouring nations about a militarist revival in the country.

Under the order to be issued by Koizumi, the main contingent will be formed February 1 and sent in batches from early February through to March to provide water purification and other relief aid. Last Monday, a 39-strong advance team of Japanese troops arrived in Samawa, marking the country's first military deployment in a hostile region since World War II.