Two Japanese nationals killed in Iraq

[pdove]

Two Japanese citizens who may have been diplomats have died in an apparent ambush near the Iraqi city of Tikrit.

A non-Japanese driver accompanying them was wounded, a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said in Tokyo, quoting the embassy in Baghdad.
...


Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3250158.stm

(Thanks to SadEagle)
First reported at Japan website
http://www.asahi.com/international/update/1130/002.html

[brainshrub]

1. WTF? Can't read Japanese.

[pdove]

4. No English report yet

I do not know any English report yet.

Basically it says the two were killed in Kirkuk Iraq.

[Faygo Kid]

2. More fodder for Halliburton, and the neo-cons

I am truly amazed that other countries send their troops into this insane morass. I bet those are the first Japanese troops to die in a war zone since World War II. Hopefully, the Japanese people will demand that their government get out.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. ROFLMAO

Um, I need to download Japanese Text Support from Microshaft before I can even get something from that website other than lines of question marks.

Can you post a link to an English translation, by any chance? :)

[0007]

5. Muckahigh - an awshitty day for Japan

I didn't know they had anyone in Iraq!

[SadEagle]

6. BBC Story

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3250158.stm

"Two Japanese citizens who may have been diplomats have died in an apparent ambush near the Iraqi city of Tikrit. "

[DeaconBlues]

7. here is the story in english from reuters

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=716&e=11&u=/nm/20031129/ts_nm/iraq_japan_deaths_dc

Two Japanese Killed in Iraq Near Tikrit
By Masayuki Kitano

TOKYO (Reuters) - Two Japanese who may have been diplomats were killed in an apparent ambush near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday, citing information received from Japan's Iraq (news - web sites) embassy.



A non-Japanese driver was also injured in the attack near the birthplace of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), the spokesman, Hatsuhisa Takashima, told Reuters.


"There is a good possibility they are Japanese diplomats," he said... (more)

[Art_from_Ark]

20. The Japanese article definitely identified them as diplomats

They were in a Japanese embassy bullet-proof car on their way from Lebanon to Baghdad. One was identified as an embassy councilor based in the UK, while the other was a Class 3 secretary based in the Japanese embassy in Iraq.

[MasonJar]

8. i think that

I think that the Japanese have some personnel in the country to help, but no sodiers who would fight. We appear to be the only country which did not learn from WWII. How many wars is this now? I count at least 6.

[pdove]

9. Japan is in the process of rearmment

and we will see more and more war participation in the near future.

I guess they will not learn from its history, until it disappears in the Pacific ocean.

[JailBush]

10. Japan has little choice but rearm.

Between China, North Korea and the United States, it's screwed. Of course, the vile deeds Japanese troops committed during World War II - and Japan's failure to make amends - didn't win it many friends.

[KoKo]

11. Vile Deeds have been done by each country.....still doing "Vile Deeds"

It's a fact of War......and sounds like we are in "unending war."

[molok555]

15. Rearming?

Japan has been in the top 3 or 5 for military spending for quite a few years now. They have a rather large, VERY modern Self Defense Force. What's (maybe) changing is the constitution. They may change it to allow Japanese to serve overseas.

The US and the rest of NATO/the West doesn't know what it wants from Japan. If they don't send troops (i.e. Gulf War I), they are shirking their international responsibilites and are freeloading off the blood of Americans. If they DO change their American-penned constitution, they're "not learning from their militaristic past" and "are a threat to their neighbours".

[Zech Marquis]

12. ooohhh shit

i have a real bad eeling about this :nuke:

[karlschneider]

13. Sun Tzu had a few things to say about the approach taken by the Iraqis

http://www.kimsoft.com/polwar1.htm

[eablair3]

14. How is not sending diplomats & troops to Iraq "giving in to terrorism"?

Tokyo Confirms 2 Japanese Killed in Iraq

9 minutes ago

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer

TOKYO - Attackers in Iraq (news - web sites) killed two Japanese diplomats in an ambush on their vehicle Saturday. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged that his country wouldn't give in to terrorism.

snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=2&u=/ap/20031130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/japan_iraq_attack
______________

can someone explain to me how Japan would be giving in to "terrorism" if they kept their soldiers and their diplomats in Japan and didn't send their people into Iraq, a country that was illegally invaded and attacked and is illegally occuppied while the U.S. installs who it wants as a government.

How is not participating in that "giving in to terrorism"?

[Zech Marquis]

16. it's quite simple

Koizumi is trying to go by *
s playbbok, and I seriously doubt his schmes will work after these attacks. Iff the Jietiai still go to Iraq and get the shit blown out of them just once..Koizumi and the Jimintou are cooked.

[otohara]

17. Poor Koizumi, Now Has To Speak

like Mr. Bush-san.

[eablair3]

18. Is Japan Re-Militarizing now and Re-Arming? (nt)

[Kinkistyle]

19. Japan is plenty armed.

It has a grade-A Self-Defense Force. High-tech destroyers, fighter jets, artillery, you name it. What it doesn't have is the constitutional right to wage war outside of Japan.

From this site, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/jda.htm

"With nearly 240,000 military personnel and an annual budget of close to $50 billion, Japan's military outstrips Britain's in total spending and manpower, while its navy in particular scores high among experts for its sophistication. "

[pdove]

22. Japan is in the process to scrap their constitution

So they can wage war abroad. The public is now swinging to adopt such change. Japan is a dog that can bite when unleashed.

[Art_from_Ark]

21. I read nothing about "not giving in to terrorism" in the Japanese article

but there are the following sentences:

‚RŒŽ‚̃Cƒ‰ƒN�푈ŠJŽnˆÈ�~�AƒCƒ‰ƒN�‘“à‚Å“ú–{�l‚ÌŽ€ŽÒ‚ª�o‚½‚Ì‚Í�‰‚ß‚Ä�B“ú–{�­•{‚ª–ÚŽw‚µ‚Ä‚¢‚鎩‰q‘à‚╶–¯—vˆõ‚Ì”hŒ­‚É‘å‚«‚ȉe‹¿‚ð—^‚¦‚é‚Ì‚ÍŠmŽÀ‚Æ‚Ý‚ç‚ê‚é�B

Translation: "These are the first Japanese to have died in Iraq since the war began in March. This will undoubtedly have a major impact on the Japanese government's intentions to send self-defense forces and civilian personnel (to Iraq)".

Very few Japanese want to send SDF to Iraq.