Japanese rally against Iraq war as U.S. general visits

[Rose Siding]

Source: Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese opponents of the war in Iraq demonstrated in central Tokyo on Wednesday, as government ministers assured the top U.S. general they would continue to provide military back-up.

About 1,500 protesters marched through the streets of the Japanese capital, holding banners reading "Stop the Occupation of Iraq" and chanting anti-war slogans to mark four years since the U.S.-led invasion.
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Foreign Minister Taro Aso told the visiting top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace on Wednesday that Japan wanted to continue the back-up mission, whose legal mandate expires in July.
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A recent poll in the Asahi Shimbun daily showed 75 percent of respondents thought the Iraq war had been a mistake. Sixty-nine percent said they wanted the air force troops to be withdrawn.

Read more: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2007-03-21T092229Z_01_T132251_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-JAPAN-USA.xml