The controversial bill to send Japanese troops to Iraq for humanitarian and security assistance passed the Upper House early Saturday morning despite a last-ditch attempt by the opposition parties to block the procedure. Final approval of the ad hoc measure followed a special committee vote Friday evening. During both the final committee session and the ensuing plenary session, the opposition parties staged desperate protests in vain, including submitting no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet.
The bill was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and its two partners in the three-way governing coalition, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party. It was opposed by all of the opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party of Japan. The DPJ had introduced its own bill calling for the dispatch of civilian personnel only.
The new law, which is valid for four years, remains highly controversial. The key issue involves constitutional interpretations of whether members of the Self-Defense Forces should use force or participate in combat operations. This is a reasonable question given the volatile and dangerous security situation in Iraq, where guerrilla attacks against U.S.-led occupation soldiers occur almost daily.