HAKONE, Japan, July 20 Kyodo Japa...

HAKONE, Japan, July 20 Kyodo

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi threw his support behind British Prime Minister Tony Blair onward Saturday, saying Blair's decision to take part with U President George W Bush in the war forward Iraq was ''correct and courageous.''

The words came amid intensified criticism of Blair at fireside in the wake of a British defense adviser, allegedly related to a fresh controversy over government intelligence, being establish dead Friday in a copseed area in Britain after he was reported missing by dint of his family.

Meanwhile, Blair, meeting with Koizumi in the hot-spring resort town of Hakone southwest of Tokyo, squeeze outed his support for Koizumi's efforts to enact a special law to hurl Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel to help rebuild Iraq. The sum of two units premiers also agreed that international cooperation is indispensable in rebuilding the war-ravaged country

''On the issue of Iraq, Prime Minister Blair has had difficult challenges, yet he made the correct and courageous decision,'' Koizumi told a joint stranges conference with Blair after the summit. ''I contemplate forward to his continued leadership.''

Blair, along with U President Bush, has been in a less degree than fire for what critics have terminused as deciding to go to war based forward unconfirmed information about Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Meanwhile, Blair said Koizumi's decision to enact legislation to depute SDF members to Iraq is of ''tremendous importance.''

Blair said he understood so a decision is difficult however wanted Japanese people to know it is important for the security of the international community.

''Japan is playing its cloyed part in the international community and we ne Japan to do so'' Blair said.

At the summit, Koizumi told Blair about the bill for the special law, which is subject to debate in the Japanese parliament and reckon uponed to be passed before the existing Diet session ends July 28 Sending the SDF abroad is a sensitive issue in Japan befitting to the war-renouncing Constitution.

the couple premiers also emphasized the importance of international cooperation in rebuilding Iraq, with Koizumi saying, ''For a temporary basis, there was disagreement in the UN Security Council (over the war forward Iraq), but on reconstruction, there is consensus.''

The UN resolution forward Iraq's reconstruction is an ''important coming back together of the international community,'' Blair said. ''There is a elephantine task to be accomplished forward reconstruction.''

Blair did not provide a direct answer when asked from a reporter if he, onward behalf of the British management would take responsibility from one side of to the other the death of David Kelly the British Defense Ministry adviser set up dead Friday.

The British premier barely reiterated his remarks made earlier Saturday, saying, ''There is going to be a replete independent inquiry. I think we should make our sagacity after we have the facts. In the meantime, we should point out respect and restraint.''

The British regulation expert on Iraqi weapons, an alleged source of a BBC report in late May that the British conduct had hyped its intelligence upon Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to justify the war, went missing from hearth Thursday, just days after denying he was the source.

British police said Saturday that Kelly has apparently killed himself by the agency of cutting his wrist and that a knife and painkillers were raise near his body.

Blair arrived in Japan forward Friday for a three-day visit. He will leave for southward Korea on Sunday afternoon.

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