MSDF plan under way after bill passed

After an interruption of close to four months caused by political bickering, the Maritime Self-Defense Force will resume its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean as early as mid-February.

The ruling coalition Friday passed into law a special measures bill allowing the anti-terrorism operation by taking advantage of a seldom-used rule in the Constitution to overcome opposition dominance in the Upper House.

The bill was defeated in the Upper House on Friday morning on the strength of opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, among others.

The legislation was promptly brought before the Lower House plenary session Friday afternoon and put to a second vote. The Lower House, where the ruling coalition enjoys an overwhelming majority, had already passed the bill Nov. 13.

With 340 Lower House members voting for the bill and 133 opposing it, the government was able to easily meet the requirement of a two-thirds majority in a second vote to pass the bill into law under Article 59 of the Constitution.

Friday's passage was the first time in 57 years that a measure defeated in the Upper House was passed into law with a second vote in the Lower House.

Defense Ministry officials are expected to complete preparations to dispatch MSDF vessels to the Indian Ocean in two to three weeks.

After coordinating with other nations involved in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, a refueling ship and a destroyer are expected to depart for the Indian Ocean before the end of January.

It will take about three weeks for the ships to reach their destination, meaning the refueling mission will resume in mid-February at the earliest.

In response to past criticism that some of the MSDF fuel provided to other ships was actually used in the war in Iraq, Japanese government officials, in writing, will ask allies to use the fuel only for the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan.

Refueling will only be conducted after the projected routes of the receiving ships are known.

The new law also limits the MSDF's activities to providing fuel and water to other ships.

The original special measures law that led to the start of the refueling mission included such activities as transport by the Air Self-Defense Force, search-and-rescue missions and providing assistance to displaced people.

Those activities were eliminated from the new law.

The new law also has a time limit of one year. If a further extension of the refueling mission is required, the government would have to pass another special measures bill into law.

The interruption of the refueling mission has led some government officials to call for a general law that would allow Japan to dispatch the SDF overseas whenever certain conditions are met.

Discussions pertaining to such a general law were active in the Upper House.

Some Minshuto members have come out in favor of a general law, leading Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura to say the environment may be ripe for such legislation.(IHT/Asahi: January 12,2008)