JAPAN: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urges Japan to restart naval missions in Afghanistan

Record ID: 465233

  • Title: JAPAN: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urges Japan to restart naval missions in Afghanistan
  • Date: 8th November 2007
  • Summary: GATES OFFERING FLOWERS TO MEMORIAL FOR THE JAPANESE SELF-DEFENCE FORCE SOLDIERS KILLED DURING MISSIONS
  • Embargoed: 23rd November 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAAU19DY6LPMF581WHRZOBSEMCS
  • Story Text: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Japan on Thursday (November 8) to restart a naval mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan that has been stalled by a domestic political controversy.
    The Japanese mission was halted this month after government and opposition failed to agree to renew it.
    U.S. officials had said that the mission was not the main focus of Gates' trip, but that the subject came up in talks with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and other ministers in Tokyo on Thursday, including his counterpart Shigeru Ishiba.
    "I think it's important to remember that this is not really a bilateral matter between the United States and Japan, but rather Japan's contribution to a broad international coalition that is involved in trying to bring freedom and keep freedom in Afghanistan," Gates told a joint news conference with Ishiba at Japan's Defence Ministry.
    "We're grateful for this international role that Japan has played, and we appreciated the efforts of the government to renew the fueling operation," Gates said.
    Ishiba replied by saying that Japan's ruling camp will do its best to break the parliamentary deadlock and resume the naval mission.
    Ishiba also reiterated Japan's commitment to the bilateral alliance with the United States, making it clear that Tokyo still supports the Bush administration's decision to start a war in Iraq.
    "We supported the United States' decision to attack Iraq, and our position has not changed to date," Ishiba told the conference.
    Over the six years of the mission, Japan has supplied free fuel and water worth about 22 billion yen ($195 million) to U.S. and other coalition ships patrolling the Indian Ocean for drug runners, gun smugglers and suspected terrorists.
    Fukuda wants to pass new legislation to resume the refuelling operations, but opposition Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa has so far refused, arguing it needs a United Nations mandate.
    Japanese voters are divided over the mission. The Democrats and their small allies have vowed to vote against a new bill in parliament's upper house, where they have a majority and can delay bills.
    Faced with that obstacle, parties in the ruling coalition agreed on Thursday to extend the current session of parliament, set to end on Nov. 10, until Dec. 15.
    Japanese ships have supplied about 7 percent of the fuel to the U.S.-led coalition in the past few years, Washington says.
    While that figure is a small proportion of the total, the United States argues it is still an important contribution to the war on terrorism declared by President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks.
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