TOKYO —

The United States in July urged Japan to reconsider its decision not to dispatch Self-Defense Forces troops to Afghanistan to help in the conflict-torn country’s reconstruction, sources close to Japan-U.S. relations said Tuesday.

During a visit in late July, a special U.S. presidential envoy, Bobby Wilkes, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Central Asia, met with top officials of Japan’s foreign and defense ministries, and urged Japan to go beyond its SDF refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan, the sources said.

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9 Comments

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  OssanULTRA at 07:11 AM JST - 24th September

  Japan, get rid of your article 9 and take some responsibility for peace and security especially in Asia.

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  some14some at 08:15 AM JST - 24th September

  and Japan might have declined on the ground that they already have NGO Peshawar-kai operating in Afghanistan.

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  rjd_jr at 08:24 AM JST - 24th September

  There's just probably too much resistance from the general public to such a move. At any rate the SDF would probably be doing missions similar to those done in Iraq, not combat oriented but more peace keeping and building infrastructure (much to the mockery of the misinformed here).

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  soldave at 09:26 AM JST - 24th September

  As long as Japan doesn't do things like this, it can't expect a permanent seat on the UNSC. Am not saying which it should do, but that's basically the status quo.

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  OssanULTRA at 12:10 PM JST - 24th September

  As long as Japan doesn't do things like this, it can't expect a >permanent seat on the UNSC.

  Why would that be? Neither China nor Russia are contributing to the coaltion efforts in Afghanistan are they?

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  soldave at 12:30 PM JST - 24th September

  But all of the other permanent UNSC members have militaries that could be deployed and carry out operations like that. Admittadly the French would be in tanks that only go in reverse and the UK would have Chinooks that can't go more than 20 miles away from their RAF base (software issues) but that's beside the point.

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  OssanULTRA at 01:37 AM JST - 25th September

  LOL. ok.

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  The_Marion at 04:06 AM JST - 25th September

  This became Bush's war and everyone just went home. I feel that Bush had his nerve asking Japan to forgo Article 9 - something we fought and died to bring about. Too bad we can't vote to continue the war or not to.

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  teaabe at 06:29 AM JST - 25th September

  ironic, how article 9 is a U.S. creation, and now it comes back with a bite...

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