Japan won't give in to terrorism: Koizumi

Japan won't give in to terrorism: Koizumi

Agencies, Tokyo/Madrid

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed not to cave in to terrorism on Sunday after the deaths of two Japanese diplomats in Iraq and said Tokyo's determination to help rebuild that country remains unshaken.

The deaths were the first of Japanese in Iraq since the U.S.- led war in Iraq began there in March and will pile new pressure on Tokyo as it weighs a decision on sending troops to help rebuild the country.

"Even though this incident has taken place, Japan must not give in to terrorism," Koizumi told reporters.

"We will firmly carry out our responsibilities for humanitarian aid and reconstruction (in Iraq) as a member of the international community. There is no change in this."

"The news was a shock to me," Kazuko Sakata, a 40 year-old owner of a cosmetic company, told AFP. "The two people were too young."

Sakata said he opposes sending troops to Iraq, believing "that a fight cannot be solved by another fight. I think Japan is just being manipulated by the United States and I don't think it's right."

But Masaaki Okamoto, a 70 year-old retiree, said Japan, as an ally of the United States, will have to send troops sooner or later.

"I think that nowadays, there is nowhere that is safe. Even if Japan doesn't send its Self-Defense Forces, there is no guarantee that Japan will be free from terrorist attacks," Okamoto said.

Meanwhile, Spain united on Sunday to mourn seven intelligence agents killed in the deadliest single attack on Spanish personnel in Iraq, but the grief also rekindled longstanding doubts about the role of Spanish troops there.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who defied public opinion to support the U.S. invasion, sounded a defiant note.

"We are where we have to be and we will not leave the victims of terrorism, here or there, to their fate," Aznar said in a televised address. "We will fulfill our commitments with loyalty and serenity."

Public opinion was generally against the war and many people would like to see the 1,300 soldiers helping control south- central Iraq return home.

"Spain pays a high price" left-leaning paper El Pais said in its editorial, while daily El Mundo described the killings as "Deaths which require explanations and reflection".