Japan’s Kyuma: Iraq Invasion Was a Mistake
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
TOKYO — Japan’s Defense Minister, Fumio Kyuma, said President Bush made a mistake in deciding to go war against Iraq.
“President Bush went to war on the presumption that there might be nuclear weapons,” Mr. Kyuma said at the Japan Press Club in Tokyo. “That decision was wrong.”
Japan withdrew its 600 ground troops from Iraq in June after more than two years, the largest such deployment since the end of World War II. Mr. Kyuma, whose ministry was upgraded from an agency earlier this month, said Japan would extend its air support operation in Iraq beyond July if necessary.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Mr. Kyuma was expressing a personal opinion. Prime Minister Abe told reporters that his cabinet members were united in their support for the government’s stance on Iraq.
