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force. Maybe such criticism as you mention [I had told him of how some
people outside Soka Gakkai see Komeito
is position as opportunist] is
valid. I think Komeito carries a responsibility towards Iraq, it is terrible
that war should occur. But the US powers just proved too strong, only
committed to their own self-interest. But then it is important to be in a
coalition because otherwise you can
'
t get anything done. I trust that
Komeito politicians did the best they could under the circumstances. I
think there are many things, for example, about America that we can
'
'
t see
from our position as non-politicians.
(all quotes from conversation with Yuki, 21/07/2004)
Yuki believed that Komeito was contributing to world peace despite its
seemingly contradictory position and inability to stop the war. However, as a
supporter who wanted to contribute to social equality, it was important that
Komeito continued to emphasise equality. It was almost as if the issues of war
and welfare had taken on an unfortunate entanglement with the event of the
Iraq War, as if the importance of welfare had become set against the US
invasion of Iraq. Most informants at this point did not believe the argument
by the proponents of the war that this was a way to peace, but this did not
diminish their desire for more comprehensive welfare policies (seeing that as a
more compassionate social approach) that were at the heart of their political
activism. From one perspective, it was as if they were trading the imple-
mentation of better welfare policies at home for lending their political support
for war overseas, as Tobi had put it, but this was not how they looked at their
decision-making process. Because of Japan
s political support for the USA,
supporters felt a deep sense of responsibility towards the people of Iraq. This
was part of why most supporters, after
'
first hesitating, agreed with the
potential merits of dispatching the SDF to Iraq for reconstruction projects; it
seemed the only way to bene
t the Iraqi people at that moment. Prime Min-
ister Koizumi had, prior to approval in the Diet (the Japanese legislature),
indicated to the Bush administration that he would send the SDF to Iraq.
This caused a great stir in the Japanese press, as he was seen as unilaterally
making promises before seeking a mandate in the Diet. Yuki agreed on this
point, but not that this meant that they should not send the SDF to try to
help the Iraqi people:
s unilateral agreement needs more discussion,
but we have to take action to help the Iraqi people.
'
Koizumi
'
'
How did they think this
turn of events would or should a
s role in the world, which was a
question at the heart of current public debates about dispatching the SDF to
Iraq and potential constitutional changes as to their role.
ect Japan
'
Supporters took a cautious approach towards the LDP suggestions about the
need for changing Article 9, as Taka explained:
'
I think they should be very
careful in approaching any changes; we need a lot more discussion. They
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