Japan remains committed to assisting in Iraq's reconstruction and implementing a plan to realign the U. S. military presence in Japan despite U. S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, Tokyo's top spokesman said Thursday, according to Kyodo. Similarly, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters separately that bilateral relations will not be affected, saying, ''The Japan-U.S. alliance from now on will remain firmly in place.'' ''I believe there will be various kinds of debate in the United States (on the Iraq issue) from now on,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. ''But regarding Japan's decisions, we are carrying out reconstruction assistance for Iraq based on policies we decided on independently from the viewpoint of our national interest,'' Shiozaki said. ''This basic stance will not change.''
