Japan and the United States plan to begin detailed talks on setting up a framework for keeping close contact over rear-area logistic support for the expected U.S.-led military operations against terrorism, sources from the two governments said Friday.
Both countries are expected to discuss the possibility of Japan dispatching Self-Defense Forces personnel as liaison officers to a frontline U.S. military headquarters expected to be set up in the Middle East, they said.
Japan's ruling and opposition parties are still at odds over a bill aimed at paving the way for the SDF to provide rear-area logistic support for the operations. The government submitted the bill to the Diet earlier in the day.
The government is concerned that if it does not move forward with building such a system, any SDF dispatch will not be timely even if the bill is enacted, they said.