Japan voters could deal U.S. a blow in Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N157066.htm

Japan voters could deal U.S. a blow in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Japan's election next month could end up costing the United States another ally in Iraq, a symbolic blow to Washington even if Tokyo's overall pro-U.S. foreign policy doesn't change, experts said on Tuesday.

Both Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party support the decades-old U.S.-Japan security alliance, and the Sept. 11 vote is being fought largely over Koizumi's financial reform agenda.

Koizumi has forged close ties with U.S President George W. Bush, bucking opposition to provide logistics support for U.S. forces in Afghanistan and to send 550 Japanese troops to Iraq in Tokyo's first significant overseas deployment since 1945.

The Democratic Party's policy platform includes pledges to withdraw Japanese troops from Iraq by December -- following other countries like Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Italy.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Coalition of the Capitulators" - like a raisin in the sun

Drying up and blowing away

[Initech]

2. Wow, this is literally turning into a war of us vs. them.

Come on, Japan, please withdraw?

[cliss]

3. Wait a minute - Japan has 2 parties:

The Liberal Democrats and the Democrats? I'm moving there.

[Stand and Fight]

4. Sounds pretty damn interesting, doesn't it?

I'll have to do some research on those two parties -- maybe we could model something like that here in America? :evilgrin: