Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda pledged Friday to resume Japan's refueling support to US-led antiterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean at a New Year press conference.

 

Fukuda told reporters that "we want to show Japan also shedding sweat to other nations as early as possible," on the need to pass a bill to authorize the refueling operations for foreign vessels in the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan.

 

The premier also stressed his support for realizing a permanent law in the future for dispatching Self-Defense Forces overseas.

 

Japan halted a six-year refueling support to U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan at the end of October, as the special antiterrorism measures law authorizing such operations expired on Nov. 1.

 

The current extraordinary parliament session has been extended through Jan. 15 to allow sufficient time to vote and pass the government-sponsored bill again in the lower house even if the opposition-controlled upper house fails to approve it.

 

At the press conference, Fukuda said he would not reshuffle the Cabinet before the start of the ordinary parliament session in mid-January. "...I would like to have the current Cabinet members continue their work," he said.

 

Fukuda also called for more frequent policy talks with the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan, to break the current political impasse.

 

On pension record-keeping blunders, the prime minister apologized and said he would review the system.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2008)