WASHINGTON -- After much difficult deliberation and debate, the Koizumi government has decided to send several hundred Japanese troops to the U.S.-led stabilization operation in Iraq. They will be working alongside roughly another 25,000 foreign troops, including just over 10,000 Brits and 3,000 South Koreans, as well as more than 100,000 American soldiers.
Japanese leaders and the Japanese people are to be commended and thanked for their willingness to send even a modest force to Iraq. The United States is greatly in need of help in this mission. The operation is proving extremely demanding on its all-volunteer military. It is also giving rise to an unfortunate perception among the Iraqi people and much of the world that the U.S. desires to dominate their country and region through largely unilateral uses of military force.
Japan's assistance is thus quite important. And the Japanese government's willingness to take political risks, both domestically and in regard to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have mixed feelings about its decision to send even small forces abroad, is courageous.