This conflict, brought about by the fear of post-1945 militarism in Japan and the American Supreme Commander's resolve to forever prevent it, is problematic:
Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba said in a newspaper article published Monday that British forces in Iraq should expect no military help from Japanese troops even if they are under fire....Under Japan's pacifist Constitution, Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops are not allowed to use weapons except in defense of themselves or of civilians under their protection.
...Japan plans to send some 700 SDF troops to Iraq for reconstruction work, mainly the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, where Dutch troops operate under the command of British officers based in Basra.
As we know from tales of United Nations peacekeeping, few circumstances are more horrifying than troops forced to watch a military or humanitarian disaster, forbade by law to intervene. Given Japan's nearly sixty years as a peaceful, stable, and prosperous democratic nation - dominated by a laissez-faire, pacifist culture - isn't it time to reconsider its self-imposed prohibition on offensive action? Some in Japan are. We need to see more.