Eighty-four percent of people in Japan are opposed to an attack on Iraq, while support for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet has fallen, a nationwide poll has shown.
A poll conducted by the Mainichi over the weekend showed that only 11 percent of people in Japan support an attack on Iraq. The support rate of the Koizumi Cabinet, which is cautiously backing the U.S. stance, fell eight points from the previous survey in January to 45 percent.
Opposition to an attack rose 4 percent compared with the previous poll conducted on Jan. 25 and 26. In that poll 80 percent of people were against aggression. The Japanese government has taken a cautious stance on the issue, saying the problem is not between the United States and Iraq alone, but between Iraq and the world. However, its stance has failed to gather public support.
By political affiliation, 93 percent of Komeito supporters were against an attack, compared with 89 percent of those who did not support a party and 77 percent of Liberal Democratic Party supporters.
The greatest cited reason for opposing an attack was a dislike of war. A total of 72 percent of people said they were against an attack because they were opposed to any type of war. Eleven percent of people said inspectors in Iraq should be given more time, while 9 percent said a U.N. resolution permitting the use of aggression had not been adopted.
Those who supported an attack gave such reasons as there being "no point in continuing inspections," and "links between the Hussein administration and international terrorist groups." Others cited relations between Japan and the United States as an ally. (Mainichi Shimbun, March 3, 2003)
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030303p2a00m0fp001000c.html