Beefing Up Yen Diplomacy

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Following a bitter debate over the intent of its strong antiwar constitution, Japan's parliament last week cast crucial votes to authorize sending troops overseas for the first time since World War II to participate in carefully circumscribed U.N. peacekeeping operations. The move follows Japan's tentative step of sending minesweeping forces to the gulf after the war, and is a victory for the government. Stung by Western criticism of Tokyo's painless pay-your-way yen diplomacy, the government has sought to fashion a global political role for Japan that matches its economic muscle.