Hence, as long as there is no clear evidence linking al Qaeda and the Sept 11 attacks with the Iraqi government led by Saddam, Koizumi would have to call his troops home and get ready for another round of Japan-bashing in the United States.
Linking Saddam to international terrorism and al Qaeda will be the easy part, and critics in Japan suspect that it might not be too long before Koizumi and Japan's defense establishment will be standing alongside Bush pointing the finger at the "evil folks" in Iraq.
In order to silence the critics and avoid possible legal problems, some in Koizumi's cabinet and the Defense Agency advocate an additional anti-terrorism law that would enable the Self-Defense Forces to provide logistical support for a U.S. military operations in Iraq and all over the planet.
Whether Koizumi will opt for a new anti-terrorism law, "reinterpret" the current one or back off altogether remains to be seen, although he can always count on Washington helping him to make up his mind sooner or later.
Unlike in the United States, sending troops off to war does not boost the government's public approval ratings in Japan, and wanna-be-international-big-shot Koizumi might instead find himself replaced one day soon if his rhetoric on reforms remains empty and the country's economy stays paralyzed.
Bush, on the other hand, is eager to avoid this fate by any and all means and seems ready to strike before domestic scandals and economic woes take over the headlines.
Asia Times Online, courtesy of Japan Today: http://www.japantoday.com
Linking Saddam to international terrorism and al Qaeda will be the easy part, and critics in Japan suspect that it might not be too long before Koizumi and Japan's defense establishment will be standing alongside Bush pointing the finger at the "evil folks" in Iraq.
In order to silence the critics and avoid possible legal problems, some in Koizumi's cabinet and the Defense Agency advocate an additional anti-terrorism law that would enable the Self-Defense Forces to provide logistical support for a U.S. military operations in Iraq and all over the planet.
Whether Koizumi will opt for a new anti-terrorism law, "reinterpret" the current one or back off altogether remains to be seen, although he can always count on Washington helping him to make up his mind sooner or later.
Unlike in the United States, sending troops off to war does not boost the government's public approval ratings in Japan, and wanna-be-international-big-shot Koizumi might instead find himself replaced one day soon if his rhetoric on reforms remains empty and the country's economy stays paralyzed.
Bush, on the other hand, is eager to avoid this fate by any and all means and seems ready to strike before domestic scandals and economic woes take over the headlines.
Asia Times Online, courtesy of Japan Today: http://www.japantoday.com