Reports Australia Will Recall Troops Irks Japan

[buzzsaw_23]

Reports Australia will recall troops irks Japan
By Deborah Cameron in Tokyo and Cynthia Banham
September 14, 2005

Australia and Britain have told Japan they are considering withdrawing their troops from Iraq, according to two newspaper reports, in a move that has alarmed Japan, which is on the brink of renewing its military involvement.

The two countries told Japan of their intentions during recent three-way talks, say reports in the newspapers Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun citing unidentified government sources.

The advice from both countries was "unofficial", according to the newspapers. One report said that the timing for the withdrawal "has not been set at all" but the other said that troops would be out by the middle of next year.

The Defence Minister, Robert Hill, said that Australia was committed to Iraq for 12 months, which would take it through to the new year. "One of our two key roles is protection of the Japanese," he said. "And what we do after the 12 months will, in part, depend on Japan's intentions in relation to its deployment, which we understand has to be determined later this year."

http://smh.com.au/news/world/reports-australia-will-recall-troops-irks-japan/2005/09/13/1126377316406.html

[billbuckhead]

1. Another unintended consequence of the Bush misAdministration

I bet Japan had felt secure with Australia and the UK as additional allies to the USA and so this must be unexpected and unsettling.

[rodeodance]

2. gee, it did not know Howie would take his troops out.

[Neshanic]

3. Note to self...dump "Hello Kitty Battlewear" stock.