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".