Top ruling and opposition party lawmakers voiced different views Sunday as to whether Japan needs a new U.N. resolution to extend logistic support to U.S. forces in the event of a retaliatory strike over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told an NHK program that Japan does not necessarily need another U.N. resolution authorizing the use of force against terrorists.

On Sept. 12, the United Nations adopted a resolution condemning terrorism.

The government and the three-party ruling coalition is now preparing a bill to provide the U.S. or multinational forces with logistic support in the event of retaliatory attacks. They plan to submit the bill to the 72-day extra Diet session convening Thursday.

Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, secretary general of New Komeito -- an LDP coalition partner -- said on the same program that Japan already has sufficient reason to draw up the required legislation.

However, Naoto Kan, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said Japan needs a new U.N. resolution.

"If a U.N. resolution touches on issues on suspects, that would serve Japan as a reason for action," he said.

Hirohisa Fujii, secretary general of the opposition Liberal Party, said Japan would end up virtually approving the use of the right to collective defense based on the Japan-U.S. security alliance unless it obtains a U.N. resolution requesting the use of force from each U.N. member.

Tadayoshi Ichida, head of the secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, said Japan should work with the U.N. to legally punish terrorists based on international law.

Meanwhile, Yamasaki, speaking on the same program and on a TV Asahi program, said Japan should send SDF medical officers to Pakistan in the event the United States or multinational forces launch retaliatory strikes over the terrorist attacks that left more than 6,000 people dead or missing.

"The action Japan should take is to provide medicine or to help people fleeing (Afghanistan)," Yamasaki said. "As danger accompanies such work, Japan should send SDF members."

Yamasaki said the LDP aims to enact the bill by the end of October.

In the bill being drawn up for submission to the forthcoming Diet session , the government and ruling coalition will allow SDF members to serve in a foreign country and its territorial waters if the country agrees to host them. , according to government sources.

They also plan to include in the bill that SDF members would be allowed to serve only in areas not directly involved in battle, they said.

The government previously envisioned allowing troops to use arms only to protect themselves and their colleagues, a restriction imposed under existing laws on troops taking part in U.N. peacekeeping operations or logistic support for U.S. forces in the event of an emergency in unspecified "areas surrounding Japan."

The use of weapons by SDF troops has been strictly limited so that it does not infringe on Japan's constitutional ban on the "use of force as means of settling international disputes."