With a 72-day extraordinary Diet session convening today, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his government face two major challenges: seeking consensus on Japan's support for expected U.S.-led military operations against terrorists and on steps to help the flagging economy.
The first task is to secure Diet approval of a bill to allow the Self-Defense Forces to lend noncombatant support to U.S. forces in retaliatory actions for the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks in the United States, which the U.S. asserts were masterminded by Saudi-born millionaire Osama bin Laden.
The bill, to be submitted in early October, is intended to give legal backing to Koizumi's pledge last week to provide the U.S. with logistic and other rear-area assistance.