Say Anything Blog

Excellent.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has decided to keep its non-combat troops in
Iraq for up to a year after their current mandate expires on December 14, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Thursday.

But he left open the possibility that the troops may be withdrawn before the year is up, saying he wanted to make an appropriate decision while heeding factors such as local security conditions.

"The people of Iraq have been making efforts to establish a stable and democratic government on their own, and we judged that we need to assist such efforts," Koizumi told a news conference.

"We must not let Iraq become a hotbed of terrorists, and from that viewpoint we judged that we need to extend the activities of the Self-Defence Force," he said, referring to Japan's military.

So much for the coalition falling apart. I think its pretty clear that the Japanese leadership is on-board with the Bush administration.

This from the article is also interesting.

"We have been opposed to the Iraq war from the outset," Yukio Hatoyama, a lawmaker for the main opposition Democratic Party, told reporters.

"We wonder why (the mission) is being extended for a year at a time when questions about the justification for the war are being raised in places like America."

Imagine that. Partisan Democrat gimmicks creating unease among our allies in the war on terror.

Thank you Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, John Kerry and every other Democrat who won't get behind victory in Iraq because it isn't politically convenient to do so (a/k/a: Wanting to beat Bush/Republicans more than wanting to win in Iraq.)