Top „ What's up around the Prime Minister „ March, 2003

Prime Minister Delivers Address at the National Defense Academy Graduation Ceremony Sunday, March 23, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy located in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and delivered an address in front of this year's 401 graduates. In his address, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "Today, the international community is faced with new threats including terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and other armamentscIn today's international society, the possibility of dangerous weapons of mass destruction passing onto the hands of dangerous dictators and the kind of dangerous situation we might then be faced with is a matter of concern to us." Regarding the use of force against Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom and other countries, the Prime Minister pointed out the importance of the Japan-US alliance and international coordination, expressing his view that, "Unfortunately, consensus could not ultimately be reached at the United Nations Security Council, but we cannot overlook the fact that Iraq has violated many Security Council resolutions over the past 12 years. When the United States, who is an indispensable ally of Japan, is willing to make sacrifices for the cause of international society, the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, it is natural that as an ally, Japan should support this and assist them to the fullest extent possible." Furthermore, Prime Minister introduced a passage from the Chinese "Shunju Sashiden" which says, "When generals send in their troops, they must also be prepared to stop them," and stated, "Those who have the ability to make accurate decisions sustained by broad knowledge and education and can appropriately manage troops are real generals," encouraging their further cultivation as future officers of the Self-Defense Forces.