Ozawa: Iraq war 'absurd,' would have warned Bush

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, said Tuesday he would have urged U.S. President George W. Bush not to start an "absurd" war in Iraq in 2003 if he had been prime minister.

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, holds a news conference Tuesday at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. KYODO PHOTO

Ozawa also said the government should have explained clearly the reason why Japan supported the Iraq war, criticizing the ruling coalition for following what he termed a problematic Japanese tendency not to be assertive enough.

His comments came after recent controversial remarks by Foreign Minister Taro Aso calling U.S. policy on Iraq "very naive" and Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma saying the U.S. invasion was "wrong."

"I would have told Mr. Bush, 'Don't do such absurd things' if I had been in the position" of Junichiro Koizumi, who was then prime minister, Ozawa said at a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.

"It is fine to say 'we will cooperate,' but what I want to say is that you should clearly explain your own thoughts, such as 'we will cooperate because of this and that.' Don't make nonsense quibbles," he said.

The head of the biggest opposition party said it is vital that the DPJ try to win over voters in the local elections in April and the House of Councilors election in July by explaining party policies simply and easily.

As for rewriting the Constitution, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to make a major issue in the Upper House election, Ozawa said the public will be more interested in themes closer to their daily lives.