2 Japanese Diplomats Killed in Iraq Ambush
Gunmen in Iraq killed two Japanese diplomats in an ambush on their vehicle Saturday, an attack that came with Japan moving closer to sending noncombat troops to the Mideast nation. Japanese officials said the deaths — the first Japanese killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion — would not change the government plan to use its soldiers to aid in the country’s reconstruction. “Japan has a responsibility to provide humanitarian and reconstruction aid in Iraq,” Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters. “There is no change to our policy of not giving into terrorism.” Full Story