Japan’s diplomatic documents worked out three decades ago during the Persian Gulf crisis, triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the year after the Cold War ended, were recently declassified and released.
As former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone headed on a high-profile mission to Iraq in early November 1990 seeking the release of Japanese hostages, a secret diplomatic mission was also starting.
When former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone visited Iraq during the Persian Gulf crisis in 1990, he spoke frankly with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, urging him to pull out of Kuwait within a month or risk U.S. military involvement.
The LDP presidential race has put renewed focus on the powerful position, with various party heavyweights looking to get rid of the long-standing incumbent.