TOKYO, March 5 Kyodo (EDS: THIS I...

TOKYO, March 5 Kyodo

(EDS: THIS IS THE FIRST OF sum of two units NEWS FOCUS STORIES ON JAPAN'S STANCE TOWARD U APPROACH) Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is seeking to demonstrate leadership in dealing with the Iraq crisis, yet appears to lack consistency as his direction calls for a peaceful resolution while suggesting support for the United States' hard-line approach.

Koizumi's leadership has been waning fit to slow progress in his reform initiatives and the deteriorating domestic economy, and he appears to be seeking to prop up the public's support for him with his decipher to settle the Iraq crisis.

The premier stepp up efforts to point out to his determination to unfold the crisis by sending three special legates to the Middle East, including Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who went to Iraq and met Iraqi agent Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.

Top guidance officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, had indicated the sending of the plenipotentiarys was part of last-ditch efforts to pursue a diplomatic solution by encouraging Iraq to full cooperate with U.N. inspections and dismantle all weapons of mass destruction.

Motegi handed Aziz a personal alphabetic character from Koizumi to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which urg Iraq to desolate all weapons of mass destruction or point out to evidence that it no longer has any banned weapons, or besides face a U.S.-led military attack.

Motegi, however, failed to bring into being tangible results as Aziz simply answered that Iraq realizes the disarmament issue has reached a critical stage and reiterated that Iraq has been cooperating completely with U.N. weapons inspectors.

a certain number of lawmakers in the ruling coalition parties said the dispatch of the ambassadors was just an attempt by dint of Koizumi to boost his popularity rate.

moreover some observers said Koizumi may use it as an excuse to augment Japan's support for a U attack upon Iraq by saying Japan's last-ditch efforts to peacefully explain the crisis had ended in failure.

Many persons have shown a majority of the public are against the use of force to last the crisis.

A Foreign Ministry official said, ''Japan indigences a reason to support a proposal that the use of force is unavoidable as a last resort.''

Koizumi has been noncommittal in the way that far on whether or not to support a military strike in succession Iraq and has simply reiterated that Japan places importance in succession maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance while seeking international cooperation to deal with the issue.

Koizumi is likely to voice support for a draft resolution forward Iraq to be submitted by dint of the U.S., Britain and Spain to the UN Security Council after the council receives a final report from chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix onward Friday.

The resolution would pave the way for the use of force to disarm Iraq.

The U wants the Security Council to consecrated by a vow on the resolution immediately after it receives Blix's report, moreover with China, France and Russia oppos to a war and calling for a political solution, the resolution, on the same level if it got the required approval of nine of the 15 Security Council members, could be vetoed.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the U are the council's permanent members with veto power.

Japan's extension of support for the resolution will approach before the council's devoted on it.

''We want to expres our support earlier than any other rural parts given that Japan's Constitution prohibits assisting the military strike,'' the ministry official said.

The support for the resolution would mean Koizumi is placing more importance in succession the Japan-U.S. security alliance than onward international cooperation.

an analysts say Japan needs reassured commitment of the U in Northeast Asia in exchange for Japan's support for U influences on Iraq, citing the deteriorating security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

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