Missions of Air Self Defense Forces of Japan in Iraq	No.654 October 20, 2009
		The Ministry of Defense disclosed late September information on the mission accomplished by the Air Self Defense Forces (ASDF) of Japan in Iraq. The data are compiled in the document, called Weekly Air Transportation Duties, which clearly shows us that the ASDF’s missions had not been the so-called ‘humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts’, but the military duty to airlift US armed troops, equipment and materials. The previous coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and New Komeito has hidden facts in darkness, reiterating to explain the missions are of non-combat character. HUMANITARIAN AID IS A LIE, REAL MISSION IS MILITARY SERVICE FOR US TROOPS The New Socialist Party has, from the first moment, objected the deployment of the Air Self Defense Forces to Iraq, insisting that the mission represents participation and collaboration in the occupation and offensive against Iraqi insurgents led by the US military forces. Dispatching ASDF abroad violates Constitution. Over Two-Thirds of Duties Served for US Military The ministry’s Weekly Air Transportation Duties, which a journalist from the newspaper Akahata made the defense authority open to the public, describes the concrete jobs, which proves the contentions of opposition forces. According to the Weekly, since March 2004, when the airlift began from the major base in Kuwait to Samawah where the Ground SDF stationed, the ASDF has carried in the planes US military vehicles, equipment and armed personnel. For instance on March 19, 2004, the Weekly mentions the mission was accomplished to transport ten US Army troopers equipped with M16 rifle and gun as well as six contractors. In April 2004 the US military seized and attacked the city of Fallujah to kill a number of civilians. The ASDF is regarded to have airlifted personnel who joined the operation. Armed Personnel Flown All Over Iraqi Territory The last ASDF’s duty ended on December 12, 2008. During the four years and nine months the total number of personnel airlifted reached 45 thousands, among which over 2/3 were of US soldiers and contractors. Only 6% of the total transportation mission was served for UN officials, whom the LDP-Komeito took advantage of as the cause of humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts. After the pullout of Ground SDF from Samawah, the ASDF expanded the operational sphere to all the regions of Iraq, engaging in mission to fly from Kuwait to Baghdad and Arbil, a northern city. The duties were of full support of the US military offensive against insurgency, complementing the losses produced by the absence of GSDF. During two years and five months after the GSDF’s withdrawal the ASDF engaged in service for 467 days, out of which for 218 days, the Japanese air forces flew cargo to Baghdad, which occupies 47% of the total operations. The personnel lifted totaled 26 thousand, out of which US military counts 17,650, representing 67%, which reaches 71%, if multinational troops are included. The guns and rifles the soldiers carried with count 5400 units, the figure of which is smaller than the actual number of personnel, but in an occasion 40 soldiers had brought in 80 units of arms. Pursuant to the Humanitarian Relief and Iraqi Reconstruction Special Measures Law the ASDF is prohibited to ‘airlift arms and ammunitions’, with an exception of armed personnel. The ASDF, taking advantage of the ambiguity of the law, transported twice as many arms as the military personnel and ‘wooden boxes with unidentified items contained’. Full Verification and Disclosure Essential In April, 2008, the Nagoya High Court ruled that ‘the dispatch of ASDF to Iraq violates Article Nine of Constitution because the missions constitute part of joint military actions with a third country’ after investigating the ASDF’S duties in the context of US operations. The ASDF’s top leaders emphasized, unreasonably, that ‘the US soldiers did not engage in the combat operations immediately after getting off the cargo plane’. But a beautiful coat of humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts is taken off. A full investigation must be made right away how the SDF cooperated with the war in Iraq together with complete release of official information. The new government led by Premier Hatoyama has major responsibility for that task. The recent disclosure was instructed by Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi in compliance with the people’s right to know. The opened portion of data is small as only the Weekly was made to the public. In the similar way the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government offices keep in secret information related to peace and the human rights, life of human beings and whereabouts of tax money. The government and bureaucrats are not allowed to behave tyrannically and arrogantly to disregard the people’s sovereignty.