Upper house votes to end Japan's mission in Iraq

[Robbien]

Source: IHT

The upper house of Parliament voted Wednesday to halt the Japanese Air Force's mission in Iraq, intensifying the opposition bloc's standoff with the government over Tokyo's role in military missions abroad.

The opposition-controlled upper house approved the Democratic Party of Japan's bill to halt the mission by a vote of 133 to 103 at a plenary session.

But the legislation was expected to be voted down when it goes to the more powerful lower house, where the governing Liberal Democratic Party has enough votes to override the upper chamber's decision.

Japan airlifts United Nations, U.S. and coalition personnel and supplies into Baghdad and other Iraqi cities from Kuwait.

The vote Wednesday came after the political battle here over Japan's mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. That mission was halted Nov. 1 after the opposition blocked its extension in Parliament. The Democratic Party of Japan disapproves of both missions.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/28/asia/japan.php

[mlevans]

1. That seems odd...

that the "Liberal Democratic Party" should be voting this down. Maybe "liberal" doesn't translate well into Japanese.

[Robbien]

2. Liberal in almost every country but the US means conservative

Australia's very conservative PM Howard was the head of Australia's Liberal party. Neo-liberalism also means very conservative with privatization of public assets being one of its main goals.

[Heywood J]

3. They're "liberal" in the same way that John Howard

of Australia was.