YOKOSUKA, Japan : A former Japanese ambassador fired after voicing his opposition to the Iraq war is taking his battle directly to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, running against the popular premier in his own district.
Naoto Amaki, 58, set up his office just 100 meters (yards) away from Koizumi's election headquarters in the port city of Yokosuka, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Tokyo, which is home to the biggest US naval facility abroad.
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"Japanese people are duped by Koizumi. One of the biggest problems during the four-year Koizumi government is the complete failure of Japanese diplomacy," said Amaki, who is running in Sunday's election as an independent.
"Koizumi made a grave mistake by supporting the Iraq war. He does not even question the US-Japan alliance. It's really a shame to us because Japan is very respected in the Middle East," he told AFP.
ChannelNewsAsia
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