TOKYO, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Australians may be divided on Prime Minister John Howard's decision to send troops to Iraq in order to protect Japanese military presence in the southern part of the country. But within Japan, Australia's announcement that it will be sending 450 troops by May, effectively to take the bullet for members of the Japanese Self Defense Force, has been greeted only with gratitude.
That positive response from Japan is likely to encourage the Japanese to be friendlier towards its antipodean neighbor, from buying more products from Australia to investing more in the country.
Yet, speculations are abound as to what Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised his Australian counterpart in return for military protection, and that has only fanned the flames of debate about the ambiguity of Japan's military.
On Tuesday, the Australian premier said that Australian troops will be sent to protect the 500 Japanese self-defense force troops stationed in Samawa over the past year.
"I know this is controversial...but I owe it to contemporary Australia and to all generations of Australians to take into account the important relationship we have with Japan and the regional aspects that Japan's involvement brings to this whole issue," Howard said in a radio interview.
Many Australians still harbor bitter memories about Japanese aggression during World War II, as many of their soldiers were captured and tortured at Japanese prisoners of war camps across Southeast Asia. But perhaps more importantly, and certainly more forward-looking, is the fact that many oppose Australians being deployed to protect the military force of another country, rather than being shipped to Iraq to ensure lasting peace in the country.
Indeed, the head of Japan's leading opposition Democratic Party, Katsuya Okada said that Australia's deployment is "good insofar as protecting the safety of the self-defense force. But if we have to mobilize that many people to be there, then we cannot help but wonder why our troops are there in the first place."
Under the current constitution, which aimed to keep Japan's militaristic past under control after World War II, the country's military is not allowed to be deployed overseas unless national security is under direct threat to this day. In fact, Koizumi had to lobby hard to get lawmakers to agree to send the self-defense force to Iraq last year so that Japan could do its part in bringing stability to the Middle East, instead of merely providing financial aid.
But because Koizumi promised that Japanese troops in Iraq would not have to fire any shots unless they were directly targeted, the prime minister has resorted to seeking help from other nations to protect Japanese camps that are based in a relatively stable part of Iraq.
Until this month, that role had been assigned to the Netherlands, but as the Dutch government decided to withdraw from Iraq altogether, Koizumi has had to lobby hard to find a replacement to protect the Japanese troops which have been providing humanitarian aid to the local area, including sanitation and medical assistance. While hopes had been high for Britain to take on that role, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government reportedly backed off as it prepares to take on a general election in June.
Still, Japanese foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura hinted that Britain might get further involved in protecting Japanese forces, as he stated that "Japan has been consulting closely with the UK government and the Australian government on the possibility of sending of troops by the latter. We will continue to closely coordinate with the two governments on how the three countries can cooperate with each other."
According to Japanese media reports, Koizumi phoned Howard on Feb. 18 to persuade Australia to send more troops to protect Japan's military presence. Details of how Howard was convinced in the end are unknown, but many analysts have argued that Koizumi likely promised to boost economic ties with Australia. Australia is already one of the biggest exporters of beef to Japan, especially as U.S. beef continues to be banned following the outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States in November 2003. Japan is also a major importer of other Australian agricultural products as well as commodities, and the country is a popular destination for Japanese tourists. Meanwhile, Japanese business presence down under continues to be strong even as many companies prefer to boost investment in east and southeast Asia.
Still, whatever Japan may have promised in return for Australian protection cannot be compared to the price of what Australian troops might have pay.
Daily newspaper Sankei Shimbun pointed out that should Australians come under fire, Japan's troops will not be able to stand back and simply be passive observers just because the constitution says they cannot fire without being attacked first.
"What passes as acceptable in Japan will not be accepted internationally," the Sankei warned in its editorial column.
