October 28, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in Japan are almost evenly divided on their appreciation of an ongoing military mission in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Mainichi. 48 per cent of respondents support Japan’s current participation in the war on terrorism, while 43 per cent oppose it.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in Japan are almost evenly divided on their appreciation of an ongoing military mission in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Mainichi. 48 per cent of respondents support Japan’s current participation in the war on terrorism, while 43 per cent oppose it.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

At least 702 soldiers—none of them Japanese—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Japan did not commit its Self-Defence Forces to combat duties in Afghanistan, but has participated in a naval mission by offering logistical support and fuelling assistance in the Indian Ocean.

The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has supported the mission in Afghanistan, first under former prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, and more recently during the government of Yasuo Fukuda. However, opposition parties—which now hold a majority of the seats in the upper house of the legislature—reject Japan’s participation in the war on terrorism. The current mission is due to expire on Nov. 1, and lawmakers must discuss this week whether they want to extend it or not.

On Oct. 24, U.S. ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer urged Fukuda to maintain his support for the country’s naval operations in Afghanistan, saying that failing to do so would send a "very bad message to the international community and to terrorists because it would be saying that Japan is opting out of the war on terrorism."

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose Japan’s mission in Afghanistan?

	Oct. 2007	Sept. 2007
Support	48%	49%
Oppose	43%	42%

Source: Mainichi
Methodology: Interviews to 1,064 Japanese adults, conducted on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, 2007. No margin of error was provided.