Inhabitants of the town of As Samawah in Southern Iraq welcome the deployment of Japanese troops there, on the condition that these do not actively support the US-led occupation.
This is the outcome of a survey conducted by a local newspaper for the Japanese press agency Kyodo News.
87 percent of the respondents said they welcome the Japanese troops that are set to arrive in their town next week. However, a large share (40 percent) of those participating in the poll also said they would object to “any involvement of the Japanese in support of the US-led occupation of Iraq”. Instead, most respondents said they hoped that the Japanese would help to improve the economic situation, and bring prosperity in As Samawah.
The outcome of the survey befits the limited mandate of the Japanese troops in Iraq. Indeed, as the Secretary General of the Japanese Defence Agency, Shigeru Ishiba, confirmed today in an interview with British journalists, the troops may only provide “humanitarian and logistic services”.
In fact, mr Ishiba stressed, the troops are bound by law to refrain from any use of violence, except to defend themselves or civilians under their custody. Thus, in the event that troops from other countries, such as the Dutch marines stationed in the area, would come under fire, “they cannot rely on the Japanese [to intervene]”, according to Mr Ishiba.
Sources: Kyodo News, Review of International Social Questions (RISQ) http://www.risq.org
This is the outcome of a survey conducted by a local newspaper for the Japanese press agency Kyodo News.
87 percent of the respondents said they welcome the Japanese troops that are set to arrive in their town next week. However, a large share (40 percent) of those participating in the poll also said they would object to “any involvement of the Japanese in support of the US-led occupation of Iraq”. Instead, most respondents said they hoped that the Japanese would help to improve the economic situation, and bring prosperity in As Samawah.
The outcome of the survey befits the limited mandate of the Japanese troops in Iraq. Indeed, as the Secretary General of the Japanese Defence Agency, Shigeru Ishiba, confirmed today in an interview with British journalists, the troops may only provide “humanitarian and logistic services”.
In fact, mr Ishiba stressed, the troops are bound by law to refrain from any use of violence, except to defend themselves or civilians under their custody. Thus, in the event that troops from other countries, such as the Dutch marines stationed in the area, would come under fire, “they cannot rely on the Japanese [to intervene]”, according to Mr Ishiba.
Sources: Kyodo News, Review of International Social Questions (RISQ) http://www.risq.org