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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 07, 2003

Japan to Act as US Ally on Iraq, Japanese PM Says

Japan must take "responsible action" over Iraq as a US ally and member of the international community, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday.


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Japan must take "responsible action" over Iraq as a US ally and member of the international community, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday.

According to Kyodo News, Koizumi made the statement after US Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation at the UN Security Council.

The disclosure of what Powell described as evidence that Iraq has been deceiving UN arms inspectors intensified suspicion that Iraq possesses mass-destruction weapons, Koizumi was quoted as saying.

Iraq holds the key to whether the issue can be resolved peacefully, he said.

But Japan has not officially made it clear whether it will support an anticipated US military attack on Iraq, according to Kyodo.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, the top government spokesman, told reporters Thursday morning, "It was shown that Iraq's cooperation with inspections have been insufficient and that it has hid and obstructed the inspections."

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said the same day Powell's presentation showed that Iraq did not intend to abolish its weapons of mass destruction.

"We highly value the information and attach importance to it," she said in a statement issued in Tokyo. She said Iraq should sincerely respond to calls from the international community to cooperate with UN arms inspections.


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