Four hundred and two Japanese citizens jointly lodged a complaint to the Osaka local court on July 26 accusing the Japanese government of violation of the constitution for sending troops to Iraq and requested the government to immediately stop sending troops to Iraq.

According to the Japanese Jiji Press the plaintiffs said in the complaint that the action of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in Iraq is no different from that of the occupation troops that use force, and is exercising the right to wage war forbidden by the ninth clause of the constitution. Since the whole country of Iraq is in a state of war it does not satisfy the precondition stipulated in the Special Measures Act to Assist Iraq Reconstruction that the Self-Defense Forces must carry out action in non-belligerent regions.

A 81-year plaintiff said at a press conference: "I have taken part in the WWII. I don't think there is a war in Japan that can be called just. I want to expose the truth that the government has brought Japan into a war".

By far there have been four local courts in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka which accepted the complaints of citizens accusing the Japanese government of violation of the constitution by sending troops to Iraq.

By People's Daily Online