TOKYO, March 7 Kyodo pitch upone...

TOKYO, March 7 Kyodo

pitch uponed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

N KOREA THREAT DOESN'T JUSTIFY BACKING BUSH (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published March 6)

The administration of U President George W Bush has made it unruffled more clear it will attack Iraq, equal without U.N. Security Council authorization. The United States is prepared to management preemptive attacks to rejoin to new threats such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the danger they would be turn rounded over to terrorists...

Japan is leaning closer to support for the United States. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has said this is being done to emphasize the importance of the bilateral alliance with the United States...

A new comment by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is representative of that sentiment. He said, ''Suppose a (North Korean) missile flew throughout and fell on Japan. To intercept having any more missiles fall upon us, the missile base must be attacked. Our simply choice in this case is to ask the United States (to do it for us)...''

The bigger question for Japan is that the possibility of a unilateral U attack upon North Korea cannot be absolutely rul revealed Seoul would become a fireball if North Korea retaliates, and the situation could lead to incalculable repercussions for Japan as well. Japan must not sole stop North Korea from overstepping its limits if it be not that must also try to preclude the United States from taking similar military action.

To do that, Japan must continue considering and speaking not at home on what should be done to contain the threat from North Korea. In cooperation with southward Korea, Japan should urge the United States to talk to North Korea directly while encouraging cooperation from China and Russia to increase international squeezing against the North.

Referring to the majority of public opinion against war onward Iraq, Koizumi said, ''If political decisions are made based forward public opinion, mistakes may be made.'' He thus signifyed confidence in the course of his government's policy. if it be not that if Iraq is attacked without a recent U.N. resolution, the government will be placed in an smooth more embarrassing situation.

It is difficult to understand for what purpose the government would support the use of U military might against Iraq, which is now les suspected of being engaged in nuclear progression in a continuously ascending gradation while seeking peaceful resolution of the situation in North Korea, which the United States says probably has nuclear weapons.

Japan should have knowledge of to persuade Iraq to achieve rid of its weapons of mass destruction, not by dint of war, but by other forms of containment. Wouldn't that be often more persuasive to the international community than having to resort to war?

(March 7)

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