Japanese parliament enacts refueling bill
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TOKYO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Japan's parliament enacted a law Friday to resume refueling support for foreign vessels participating in anti-terrorism operations in and near Afghanistan, through a rare second vote in the lower house.
The bill, which was voted down by the opposition-controlled upper house in the morning, cleared the more powerful House of Representatives with a two-thirds majority vote in the afternoon. The lower house has passed the bill as early as in November.
The new law, which allows the continuation of refueling operations in the Indian Ocean, defines the activities as supplying oil and water to foreign vessels engaged in anti-terrorism maritime interdiction operations in the Indian Ocean and limits the activities to "non-combat" areas in the Indian Ocean. It expires one year after coming into force and allows extension for up to one year.
Japan halted a six-year refueling support to U.S.-led anti-terrorism operations in and near Afghanistan at the end of October, as the special anti-terrorism measures law authorizing such operations expired on Nov. 1.
According to local media reports, the refueling mission is expected to restart around the mid-February at the earliest.
The resumption of such missions is considered the most crucial piece of legislation in the current parliament session for the Cabinet under Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. The extraordinary session was extended twice till Jan. 15 to allow enough time to pass the government-sponsored bill.
Under Japan's constitution, if a bill fails to clear the House of Councilors within 60 days, the bill could be sent back to the lower chamber for a second vote, which would be final.
It is the first time over five decades in Japan that a bill has been passed and enacted into law by a second vote in the lower house after being rejected by the upper house.
