School children in Ar Rumaytha welcoming the JSDF.

"Japan ends slump; storms back to form."

Or so it might have read in the context of some earnest sports publication eager to wrestle the Monday morning fans from their working hangover. In reality, the headlines were far more prosaic examples of journalism with words like, "JSDF sent to Iraq".

While the English language newspapers ensured wide coverage, the enormity of its historical background seems to have been effortlessly whitewashed. The dispatch of several thousand troops of Japan's Self Defence Force into combat-stricken Iraq represents their first major international operation since Second World War hostilities were ceased. In essence then, Japan has existed for the past 50 or so years in relative multilateral obscurity, shunned by those long enough to harbour grudges for WW2 atrocities but too many generations distant to remember equal inhumanity exacted by their own countries.

And in this equilibrium it has compliantly stayed, steering clear of international resolutions in often embarrassing affronts to national pride. Recently, however, the Japanese, tired now of their "black sheep" status among the international community, took the step of sending a reasonably sized force to Iraq to assist in humanitarian and nation-building efforts. While this could be viewed as yet another example of compliance in the face of American hegemony over the United Nations and overseas conflict resolution, the truth is that a once proud nation has re-sharpened its claws in the political arena and re-joined what is a decidedly important movement to offset U.S. power in security issues.

The disturbing and inhumane crimes realized by Japanese imperial ambitions and enacted by their dutiful subjects in the last Great War, cannot and should not be ignored or erased from the history books. The countless innocent civilians and POW's needlessly executed and cruelly tortured in the Pacific region especially, are voices even now still powerful and relevant that remind us of a need to honour and respect past misdemeanours.

They do not, however, exist as a beacon for continuing mistrust to prevent redemption and re-integration, although sadly this has often been the case in the intervening years. In the same way that past wartime crimes have been repented and forgiven in Europe, the Americas and worldwide, the Japanese likewise have a right to forgiveness leading to their re-inclusion into decisions of global security issues.

The forces in Iraq, principally American and British in number, are hopelessly overstretched in their attempts to restore law and order and a degree of normality to the lives of ordinary Iraqis. While sections of troops from Poland, Spain and other contributing countries have helped to ease the burden, it is clear a much wider international alliance is needed both in terms of sheer numbers and to add legitimacy to the occupation.

Japanese soldiers able to hold their own.

Japan, therefore, as a leading industrialized nation can have a significant role to play, and has rightly been asked to help and responded in groundbreaking manner. These troops, several thousand all told, are being utilised in purely humanitarian missions, aimed at restoring power and water supplies and distributing food and medical aid. There should be no international alarm at seeing Japanese soldiers on assignment on foreign soil, and the ruling LDP party should be applauded for its courage in this matter.

The mood, among ordinary Japanese, has understandably been mixed. Scores of people, this writer questioned were unanimous in their ambiguity. Some echoed sentiments of pride at "Japanese helping exceptionally needy people", while other were unable to see past the risk to soldier's safety. A frequent response being "Maybe many soldiers will die". Regardless, the Japanese government seems stoic in its desire to maintain its country's involvement, often having to fend off accusations of over-compliance with the U.S.

As with the U.K, Japan's legislature has to deal with allegations of being the puppet on President Bush's hand while trying desperately to assert its own national identity. While cynics argue some truth in this point, it is clear that the day-to-day efforts of those soldiers involved are having real and concrete benefits in the lives of the Iraqi population, and any debate on politics shouldn't obscure this fact. Iraqis, by the thousand, will be measurably better off for the introduction of Japanese peacekeeping troops. As well, the relevance of the United Nations and other multilateral bodies will be hugely improved by this manoeuvre.

The future remains suspiciously American-centric, although perhaps with the increasing involvement of nations like Japan this disparity could be lessened. Evidently, both European and Asian nations will have felt relief and gratitude at the re-introduction of Japan into issues of multilateral importance; the continuation of which will be an increasingly necessary counterbalance to American dominance. The extent of this involvement will depend on the makeup of future Japanese governments, but presumably the international community eagerly awaits a strengthening of this new alliance.