Defense chief denies Cabinet discord over Japan's refueling mission+

TOKYO, Japan, Oct. 6 Kyodo -
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Tuesday there is no discord among
members of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet over whether to terminate
Japan's ongoing refueling mission in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism
operations in and around Afghanistan after a special law authorizing it expires
Jan. 15.

''For the Democratic Party of Japan, there is no option to enact a new law to
continue the refueling mission,'' Kitazawa told a press conference.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has said the government will not ''simply
extend'' the Maritime Self-Defense Force's noncombat operations in the Indian
Ocean that have been in place for most of the time since 2001.
In the meantime, parliamentary defense secretary Akihisa Nagashima has
repeatedly said Tokyo should explore avenues to keep the refueling mission
going by revising the existing law to add some preconditions, namely requiring
Diet approval before dispatching the Self-Defense Forces.
Kitazawa said at the news conference Nagashima had told him that his remarks
were meant to explain Okada's intention of not ''simply extending'' the
mission. The minister said it is a ''misunderstanding'' that the defense
minister and parliamentary secretary are in disagreement.
The defense chief also said Okada is trying to work out a solution by
considering the matter ''in a big package,'' referring to Japan's alternative
support plans for Afghanistan.
Given the restrictions imposed under the war-renouncing Constitution, Japan
chose to provide fuel and water to foreign naval vessels participating in
U.S.-led efforts to interdict ships linked to terrorism in the region.
The DPJ, which has insisted on the importance of civilian aid missions, reached
a verbal understanding with its coalition partners on the mission's withdrawal
after winning the Aug. 30 general election.
The Social Democratic Party, a DPJ coalition partner, has called for the
immediate withdrawal of the MSDF personnel involved in the refueling mission.
SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima reiterated Tuesday her party's opposition to the
extension of the refueling mission. ''We will discuss the issue (in the
coalition government) in order to prevent the task from being kept with some
preconditions attached,'' she said.
The United States has expected Japan to continue the operations, and some
pundits are concerned that termination will have a negative impact on bilateral
ties.
Nagashima is set to visit the United States next week to discuss the matter
with senior U.S. officials in Washington, Kitazawa said.
==Kyodo
2009-10-06 23:17:38