PACIFISTS can be better than military superpowers at being
unilateralist. Junichiro Koizumi is counting on this as he
updates, yet again, the role of Japan's Self Defence Force
(SDF). Following promises made at the G8 summit in Georgia last
week, the prime minister is seeking to redefine the SDF's
mission in Iraq, and make it part of a new multinational force
that was called for in last week's United Nations resolution.
The trouble with the new multinational outfit is that its
members might have to defend people by firing weapons. Agreeing
to this knowingly would further stretch, if not snap outright,
Japan's self-imposed limits on using force. There is little risk
of this in the SDF's current Iraq mission, which involves giving
humanitarian help to the quiet southern town of Samawah. So Mr
Koizumi announced a simple solution on June 15th. The 550
Japanese troops in Samawah will call themselves part of the
multinational force, but carry on as before—operating in “non-
combat” zones—and will take orders from n