The Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington has published "The People vs. Koizumi" Japan-U.S. Relations and Japan’s Struggle for National Identity." It includes three markedly different interpretations of Koizumi's support for U.S. activities in Iraq and the perception gap between Japanese elites and ordinary citizens.

The report can be accessed at the Web site of the Wilson Center's Asia Program, at the web link provided below.

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In the report, Naoyuki Agawa of the Japanese embassy argues that the Japanese people will continue to support expansion of the SDF under the U.S. wing. Masaru Tamamoto of the World Policy Institute declares that the prime minister has pushed the public farther than it wants to go in the direction of militarization—-casualties in Iraq could bring down Koizumi’s government. According to Toshio Nishi of Reitaku University and the Hoover Institution, increased national pride will prompt Japan toward a more independent and assertive foreign policy.