Japan stands firm with Washington as other allies waver

TOKYO -- Japanese leaders stood firm in their backing of the U.S. mission in Iraq on Friday, declaring that weapons of mass destruction might still be found and pledging to help stabilize the country.

The show of support came despite recent wavering by other U.S. allies. Spain's new government vowed to withdraw forces from Iraq after last week's railway bombings in Madrid; South Korea said it would revise plans to send troops; and Poland considered withdrawing from the coalition, before deciding on Friday to keep its troops in Iraq.

Commenting on the first anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Japan remained committed to fighting terrorism and aiding Iraqi reconstruction. Japan is deploying 1,000 troops to southern Iraq on a humanitarian mission.

"If each country succumbs to terrorism and withdraws from Iraq, there is a possibility that Iraq will fall into anarchy and chaos," he said. "That would be a major loss for the international community and a victory for terrorists."

He also said there was still a chance that weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq. Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's suspected development of such arms was the main rationale for the invasion, although no evidence of such programs has been uncovered since the war.

"I think there are still possibilities that they will be found. They cannot be nonexistent," Fukuda said. "I don't know how they will be found or exactly what they are, or if they have been destroyed."

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has pressed ahead with a strongly pro-U.S. foreign policy despite public opposition to the Iraq invasion, rejected suggestions the U.S.-led coalition was dissolving.

"I don't think there's a growing sense of it falling apart," he said. "I think there is a common awareness that unless you have a stable regime in Iraq, there won't be peace and stability in the world."

The wavering among other U.S. allies could put more political pressure on Koizumi, who has argued strenuously for the Japanese non- combat mission to Iraq despite a split in public opinion.

Many here fear the troops could be targeted by insurgents or encourage a terrorist attack against Japan. The country, already on its highest level of readiness, has beefed up security at train stations in the wake of the Madrid bombings.

Still, it was considered unlikely that the actions of other American allies would have an immediate impact on Japanese policy.

"I think the troops will continue to stay," said Jiro Yamaguchi, a political specialist at Hokkaido University. "Unlike Spain, Japan doesn't have a strong protest movement. And the opposition is also weak."

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