"Most Japanese are against war, but Koizumi is acting as if we are all part of the American system," said Japanese anti-war activist

TOKYO, March 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In another indication of yet staunch world popular opposition to the U.S.-led Iraq war schemes, 30,000 anti-war Japanese converged in Tokyo Saturday, March 8, although the government approved the proposed new ultimatum resolution.

Carrying signs urging Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi not to "sell" Japan, protesters rallied in the downtown park before setting off on a peace parade down a single lane of traffic, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi offered Tokyo's position on the ultimatum resolution, saying in a statement that Japan "supports this resolution as the final effort by the international community to pressure Iraq to disarm on its own."

"Most Japanese are against war, but Koizumi is acting as if we are all part of the American system," complained a 71-year-old retired man, who called himself Kei.

"Even if we do not participate in an attack, we will be asked to help pay for the reconstruction of Iraq.

"In this economic slump, it's worrisome that we just support whatever the United States says," he stressed.

"It seems like Japan needs the United States' support to solve the North Korean issue, so it backs its stance on Iraq," said 28-year-old university student Yusuke Matsuo. "But that is just a system of being bullied."

A poll released Monday by Jiji press news agency found 84 percent of Japanese opposed to a U.S.-led attack on Iraq, while Koizumi's support dropped eight points to 45 percent.

Seemingly unfazed by public hostility to its position, the government said Saturday that Japanese, while not among the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council, supported a resolution sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain that challenged a sharply divided Security Council to authorize war if Iraq does not disarm within 10 days.

On Wednesday, March 5, Koizumi told parliament that the government's position on Iraq would not be swayed by negative public opinion.

Protesters remained hopeful, however, that war could at least be postponed to give diplomatic efforts a chance to succeed.

Pro-war Haward Meet With Demonstration

"For me to rule anything in or out at the present time is patently absurd" said Howard

In a related development, anti-war protesters converged in central Auckland Saturday as pro-war Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived in New Zealand amid tight security.

And 100 or so protesters armed with an inflatable bomb greeted Howard and wife Janette when they arrived at Auckland's Whenuapai air force base afternoon for a three-day visit.

Protesters held up banners reading "Stop the Genocide" and "Yankee Poodle Johnny" as a large police contingent guarded the base's perimeter.

Howard told reporters inside the base that it was important for New Zealand and Australia to look at the areas about Iraq on which they agreed as "both of us want to see Iraq disarmed," he said.

New Zealand premier Helen Clark, who met the Howards at the base, said New Zealand wanted to see more diplomatic pressure put on Iraq to disarm before resorting to military action.

Before his departure, Howard refused to rule out committing Australian troops to a war against Iraq without United Nations' backing.

"For me to rule anything in or out at the present time is patently absurd and robs this country of the flexibility it ought to have to take decisions when all the known facts are available to the government of the day," Howard told reporters before leaving for an official trip to New Zealand.

His Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Saturday that Australia was encouraging U.N Security Council members to support the March 17 deadline proposed by the United States, Britain and Spain.

"This is a very difficult resolution for any country to vote against," Downer said, adding that voting against the draft resolution would undermine the authority of the Security Council.

"It provides a bit of a timeline and in those circumstances I think it would make good sense for countries to support it and we're in the process of speaking to a number of countries encouraging them to do that."

Australia has sent about 2,000 troops to the Gulf in preparation for military action against Iraq.

Australian demonstrators called on their government to abandon support for the U.S. war plans during an International Women's Day march in Sydney.

Up to a quarter of a million demonstrators jammed the center of Sydney in Middle February in the biggest of a series of nationwide rallies since the Vietnam War

"Spies"

Meanwhile, Australia's government said it was expelling an Iraqi diplomat for security reasons, accusing the official of spying and giving him four days to leave the country.

Downer said the government wanted diplomat Helal Ibrahim Aaref out of Australia.

"We have reason to believe that he's associated with the Iraqi Intelligence Agency and he is assessed by our agency as an Iraqi intelligence officer, his activities are incompatible with a status of a diplomat," Downer told reporters. "We do have real security concerns about his activities."

Details were sketchy about Aaref, who the Iraqis insist is an attaché with no connection to intelligence services.

Iraqi charge d'affaires to Australia, Saad al-Samarai, denied the spy allegation and challenged the Australians to charge Aaref if they had evidence against him.

"How can you expel if you don't charge him with this charge," al-Samari said. "He's an attaché... he's alone here, you can check it with the department."