Japanese Companies Cool to Aiding Gulf Force

The Japanese government said Thursday that it will send supplies worth $60 million to the multinational force in the Persian Gulf, but it added that Japanese companies are distinctly cool to the project.

At a press conference, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said no Japanese company involved in the effort wants to be named. Some companies refused to contract as suppliers at all, said Eiichi Hasegawa, director for North American Trade Policy Planning.

The $60-million shipment will include video cassette recorders, television sets, four-wheel-drive vehicles and copiers, said the ministry, known as MITI.

Many of the companies are concerned about the safety of employees being held hostage in Iraq. But another key factor, Hasegawa said, is what he called “blackmail” letters being mailed to numerous corporations from Iraq warning them that any moves against Iraq would have “disastrous effects” on their firms.

The typed form letters carried the signature of a “K. Jassem Jabar.” There was no indication that they were anything more than a personal protest, but Hasegawa said companies were treating the notes seriously.

The Japanese corporate community’s unwillingness to be associated with the aid program reflects a broader antipathy in Japan toward the U.S.-led effort against Iraq.

Vice President Dan Quayle suggested in Tokyo on Wednesday that the United States will soon be passing the hat again to finance the soaring costs of supporting troops in Saudi Arabia.

But with the Japanese government already under heavy attack for acting like “Pavlov’s dog,” as one commentator put it, with its “conditioned response” to every U.S. demand, it is unlikely that Japan will find political support for additional commitments.

Last week, Japan’s leaders dropped plans to send noncombat troops to the multinational peacekeeping force in the Persian Gulf because of a lack of support in Parliament.

Now, the leaders are finding it difficult to generate enthusiasm at home for their $4-billion pledge to support the Persian Gulf effort.

While Washington criticizes Japan for doing too little to support the multinational force, many in Japan feel that their tax dollars are being wasted on a program that doesn’t concern them.

Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu has come in for harsh domestic criticism. Popular commentator Jun Eito used the analogy of Pavlov’s dog in saying that Kaifu tries to come up with an aid package each time Washington makes a new demand.

Officials at MITI and the Foreign Ministry express confidence that they will fulfill their pledges.

Of the $4 billion pledged, $2 billion will be used to support the multinational forces in Saudi Arabia and $2 billion will be aid to “front-line” countries.