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Japanese warship heads for Indian Ocean
Staff and wires
YOKOSUKA, Japan -- A high-tech Japanese warship has left for the Indian Ocean, a move some analysts say could signal support for a possible U.S.-led attack on Iraq. The 7,250-tonne Kirishima, equipped with a high-tech Aegis missile detection system, left its home base of Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, on Monday, with riot police lining the shore. A crowd of around 100 cheered as the destroyer left, whilst an equal number of protesters rallied to oppose the deployment, saying it could violate Japan's pacifist constitution. Sending the Aegis warship, one of four that Japan owns and with a crew of about 250, is a giant move for Tokyo. BannedSince the end of World War II, Japan's constitution -- drafted by the United States -- banned its military from waging war overseas. In the 1991 Gulf War Japan sent no troops as public attitudes at the time would only allow financial support. But in the past year, Japan's so-called "Self-Defense Forces" have played a more active role outside of Japan than ever before. After passing a counter-terrorism law last year, Japan has been sending naval ships to re-fuel U.S. warships in the Indian Ocean as it helps the war on terror in Afghanistan. This is the first time since World War II that Japanese forces have been deployed overseas for anything other than peacekeeping. Washington now regards Tokyo as its closest Asian ally, and it has around 47,000 U.S. troops based in Japan. The sophisticated Aegis radar technology -- which can detect more than 2,000 aircraft or missiles several hundred kilometers away and can shoot down more than 10 targets at once -- will stay far away from any combat areas, but can share intelligence with American ships in the region. The United States and Spain are the only other countries with Aegis warships. Helping outThe dispatch of the warship has been the focus of an intense debate as commentators speculate about what it will be used for. "When the United States government decides to take or not to take military action against Iraq, then at least Japanese warships are ready there," says University of Tokyo professor Takashi Inoguchi. As Washington gears up for a possible war against Iraq, Japanese and U.S. officials have talked about other ways Tokyo could help Washington with a war against Iraq, even though its forces cannot fight. "That includes not only the evacuation of the Japanese nationals, or the protection of Japanese oil tankers, but probably the post-war rehabilitation of Iraq, and also the support and rescue of the refugees," says Foreign Ministry spokesman HatsuhisaTakashima. 'Against it'But some in Japan worry about where all this is leading, saying they are concerned that Japan's pacifist constitution is being eroded. "The Japanese government is planning to go with America. We are against it," says one Tokyo protester. While some protest this new assertiveness, most Japanese seem to have accepted it to varying degrees. "There hasn't been much debate about it on TV," says one woman in Tokyo. "The government just did it." But this man thinks -- with recent threats from North Korea -- it is important for Japan to show it can protect its people. A survey by the liberal Asahi Shimbun newspaper published on Monday showed 57 percent of respondents said Japan should not provide backing for any U.S. military action against Baghdad. Some 40 percent supported the dispatch of the Aegis-equipped destroyer while 48 percent were opposed, the Asahi said. Either way, the course has been set in support of U.S. action, wherever that may lead. The destroyer is scheduled to arrive in the Indian Ocean in about three weeks to replace one of three Japanese naval vessels currently deployed in the area. Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi are set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Monday in Washington to discuss security issues. -- CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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