Japan troops to become US cannon fodder

[ak47]

The Japanese parliament has approved plans to send ground troops to Iraq to assist in post-war reconstruction.
The legislation provides the legal basis for the largest foreign deployment for Japan’s armed forces since World War II, which has angered some critics.

Opposition parties objected to the plan on the grounds that it would breach the Japanese constitution, which prohibits military forces from being used for purposes other than defence.

Opinion polls suggest that many Japanese people oppose the deployment of Japanese troops.

The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Tokyo says the government also faces the difficult task now of defining exactly what the Japanese contingent will be allowed to do in Iraq.

Troops are supposed to stick to humanitarian work, and avoid conflict areas - but the prime minister himself has admitted such areas were hard to identify in today’s Iraq.

Japanese troops to become US cannon fodder

OK so Japans arm has been twisted so far ups its back it has capitulated to the American demands for troops. The Japanese people I have seen and read many times unlike the americans are very anti iraq war and they feel very sorry for the iraqi people for all the suffering and the agression they have faced from the US terror government but there japanese troops can expect no sympathy from the Iraqis as they will be seen as the same as the American occupying troops so they need to ensure they have plenty of body bags when they arrive :2guns:

[underthedome]

Re: Japan troops to become US cannon fodder

*Originally posted by ak47: *

The Japanese people I have seen and read many times unlike the americans are very anti iraq war and they feel very sorry for the iraqi people for all the suffering and the agression they have faced from the US terror government but there japanese troops can expect no sympathy from the Iraqis as they will be seen as the same as the American occupying troops so they need to ensure they have plenty of body bags when they arrive

:french:

[mAd_ScIeNtIsT]

This will be interesting... the Japanese troops are only legaly allowed to be deployed to do humanitarian work in non-hostile areas.... identifying non-hostile areas will be tricky.

Not to mention the consitutional bind. Japan's constitution expressly bans Japan from maintaining an Army, and Air Force, or Navy. They get around this for now by having a "Self Defence Force", existing to protect Japanese territory.

But if Japanese troops come under fire, are they legally allowed to return fire, or forbidden to do so because their attackers are not threatening Japanese land in any way? Would Japanese troops in Iraq who return fire against Iraqi guerrillas have politically motivated charges laid against them back in Tokyo by politicans opposing Japanese military participation in Iraq?