Japanese Court Says Iraq Deployment Violates Constitution

Also see: Keep Article 9 in Constitution

A Japanese court said in a non-binding ruling Thursday(4-17-08) that the country's dispatch of air force troops to Iraq was unconstitutional, but the government said the deployment would proceed anyway.

Japan has about 210 air force personnel in Kuwait, from which they air lift supplies to U.S. led forces in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq.

The Nagoya High Court dismissed the case, saying that it could not rule on the plaintiff's demand for suspension of the deployment, but that the dispatch violated Article 9 of Japan's 1947 constitution.