Japanisches Militär im Irak-Neudefinition japanischer Sicherheitspolitik?, in: KAS-Auslandsinformationen Maerz 2004, ISSN: 0175-7521

Under strong pressure from the U.S. and after a year of controversial discussions in Japan, the Japanese government decided to deploy troops to Iraq late December 2003. Throughout 2003, a number of high-ranking U.S. administration officials (including Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage) travelled to Japan urging Prime Minister Koizumi and his government to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq and deploy Japanese military to Iraq. Since the beginning of this February, Japanese military is stationed in southern Iraq (in and around Samawah) being engaged in a humanitarian mission repairing roads, bridges, hospitals and supplying clean water for Iraqi civilians. By the end of March 550 Japanese troops will be stationed in Samawah and up to 450 additional troops are expected to be deployed by the end of 2004. Although Japan’s mission in Iraq is strictly noncombat and subject to tight restrictions with regards to the use of military force, parts of the media as well as commentators and critics suggest that Japan’s humanitarian mission is yet another step towards transforming Japan from a „pacifist economic superpower“ into an (aggressive) military power threatening peace and stability in Asia and beyond