Beijing reads from the same script as the nihilist left:
The Japanese government's approval Tuesday of a basic plan to dispatch troops to Iraq underlined its intention to become a military power and to secure oil interests, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday.
With all due respect to the repressive, communist regime, I much prefer Junichiro Koizumi's blunt explanation:
"We cannot say Iraq is not dangerous. But for the sake of Japan's national interests, we have to cooperate with Iraqi reconstruction efforts both financially and by sending SDF members."...Koizumi, a strong supporter of U.S. President George W. Bush's war against Saddam Hussein and post-war reconstruction efforts, said that Washington was trying to rebuild Iraq with good intentions.
Security, justice, and a commitment to freedom - not bad ideals to share, those. The prime minister is being dog-piled by domestic opponents who would rather foist the problem onto the "someone else" represented by the United Nations. Ever stalwart, Koizumi's even considering a trip to Iraq.