http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200801/20080111227434.html
美大使讚揚日本恢復支援反恐戰爭海軍任務
法新社╱陳政一 2008-01-11 18:35
（法新社東京十一日電）美國駐日本大使西佛今天讚美日本政府採取果斷的立法行動，以恢復支持美國所領導「反恐戰爭」的海軍任務。
他表示：「美國感謝日本政府採取這項重要行動，以支持國際社會建立一個穩定而民主的阿富汗的努力。」
他在聲明中說：「恐怖主義是我們時代的禍根。日本通過這項法案，顯示它願意支持那些嘗試建立一個更安全、更寬容世界的人。」
日本首相福田康夫曾向美國總統布希承諾將恢復這項任務，即在印度洋為阿富汗聯軍提供燃料和其他支援。
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_re_as/japan_anti_terrorism_5
Japan parliament passes anti-terror bill
By HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 3 minutes ago
TOKYO - Japan's parliament cleared the way Friday for its navy to return the Indian Ocean on a U.S.-backed anti-terror mission, after stiff lobbying from Washington in support of the measure.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said the new mission would be dispatched by the end of the month, launching a limited version of a six-year refueling operation that had been suspended in November.
Japan had refueled ships since 2001 in support of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, but was forced to abandon the mission last fall when the resurgent opposition blocked an extension.
The measure enacted Friday will limit Japanese ships to refueling boats not directly involved in hostilities in Afghanistan, a restriction aimed at winning over a public wary of violating the spirit of the pacifist constitution.
The United States had lobbied hard for the mission, and U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer made a rare public foray into domestic politics on the issue by meeting with lawmakers to urge their support.
Fukuda's government was deeply embarrassed by having to withdraw the mission in November, a step that cast doubt on how far Tokyo can back Washington in its global war on terrorist groups.
To get the mission approved, Fukuda's ruling coalition used a rare legislative procedure to overrule an earlier rejection of the bill in the opposition-controlled upper house by a two-thirds vote in the lower house.
"The refueling mission is Japan's effort to do as much as it can, utilizing our ability," Fukuda said in a statement after the measure passed. "It is truly significant that Japan can rejoin the fight against terrorism."
Following the vote, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba promptly ordered ships to prepare for dispatch. The fleet should leave port in two to three weeks and resume operations in five to six weeks, the ministry said.
Fukuda and other ruling party lawmakers argued the mission was needed to fulfill Japan's obligations in the global war against terrorism and give the country a world role commensurate with its economic clout.
"Japan must join the world in the fight against terrorism," ruling party lawmaker Akio Sato told parliament ahead of the vote. "We must make a quick return."
Schieffer cheered the passage on Friday.
"Terrorism is the bane of our time," he said in a statement. "By passing this legislation, Japan has demonstrated its willingness to stand with those who are trying to create a safer, more tolerant world."
The lower house vote, which approved the measure 340 versus 133, followed the upper house's rejection of the bill earlier in the day. Under a Japanese law last used in 1951, the upper house can only be overruled by a two-thirds vote in the lower chamber.
The opposition accused the ruling camp of forcing its will on the people.
"This is a clear abuse of power," said Yoshito Sengoku, a lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. "The government will now surely lose the trust of the people."
Japan's naval mission in the region the past six years provided logistical support to forces involved in the war in Afghanistan. It mainly supplied some 132 million gallons of fuel to coalition warships, including from the U.S., Britain and Pakistan, according to the Japanese government.
Public opinion polls show Japanese are gradually coming to accept a greater role for their troops abroad — as long as it does not involve combat.
The DPJ, the party that took control of the upper chamber in elections last year, opposes the mission because it says military operations in Afghanistan do not have the explicit support from the United Nations. The party also says the mission violates Japan's pacifist constitution.
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