Japanese officials are considering including the rescue of U.S. personnel operating in the Arabian Sea in the basic action plan for supporting the ongoing military operations in Afghanistan, government sources said Tuesday.

But such action, if launched near U.S. forces under attack, could pose a problem. This is because the counterterrorism law that was enacted Monday limits the area of operation for Self-Defense Forces support for the U.S.-led coalition to noncombat areas, analysts said.

The basic plan, which under the new law must be approved by the Cabinet, will set the framework for SDF operations.

For rescue operations, the government would include the 5,200-ton destroyer Kurama, equipped with helicopters, in the Maritime Self-Defense Force contingent to be sent to the Indian Ocean in mid-November, the sources said. The dispatch is expected to consist of five to six vessels.

So far, the government plans to include in the basic plan operations for cooperation and support centering on transportation and the supply of water and fuel.

The officials believe that as long as the SDF is in the region engaging in transport and supply operations for the U.S., rescue missions could be unavoidable, the sources said. They further reason that unavoidable search and rescue operations could be hindered unless they are clearly called for in the basic plan, according to the sources.

The Kurama is an antisubmarine destroyer equipped with a digital computer fire-and-control system. It can carry three SH60J surveillance helicopters, considered highly useful in search and rescue operations.

Japan may consider replacing the SH60Js with UH60J helicopters, which have a longer range, if the United States so requests, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the MSDF said Tuesday it will hold the biggest drill this fiscal year from Sunday through Nov. 11.

The drills, conducted annually, will center on antisubmarine and antiair actions. This year, the MSDF said, the drills will also cover logistic support operations such as fuel supply at sea, which is anticipated to be part of Japan's support for the U.S. military under the new law.

The MSDF said 80 of the roughly 140 vessels in its fleet will take part in the exercise.

Antiterrorism treaties

The Cabinet approved a set of bills Tuesday that would allow Japan to ratify the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, government officials said.

Japan signed the convention in 1998 after the U.N. General Assembly adopted it in 1997.

A House of Representatives panel on antiterrorism measures decided to begin deliberations on the bills today.

The government hopes to have the bills passed in early November, the officials said.

Later in the day, the Foreign Ministry said Japan signed the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism at midnight to pave the way for the Diet to deliberate relevant bills toward its ratification next year.

Japan's ambassador to the United Nations, Yukio Sato, signed the document at U.N. headquarters in New York as part of Tokyo's contributions to the reinforcement of the international framework to prevent terrorist acts, the ministry said.

The convention requires each state party to take appropriate measures in accordance with its domestic legislation for the freezing of funds used or allocated for the purpose of committing crimes including hijacking, taking hostages and terrorist bombings.

Such offenses are deemed extraditable, with state parties having the obligations to make the crimes punishable, to prosecute or extradite alleged offenders, and exchange information needed in related criminal proceedings.

The treaty on the suppression of terrorist bombings was enacted May 23. The treaty on stopping terrorist financing, signed by 44 countries and ratified by four, needs 18 additional ratifications to come into force, according to the United Nations.

The first treaty stipulates that it is an offense to unlawfully and intentionally deliver, place, discharge or detonate an explosive or other lethal device in, into or against a place of public use, a state or government facility, a public transportation system or an infrastructure facility.

It calls for each signatory state to make those offenses punishable under domestic laws.

The bills approved by the government aim to revise seven laws, including those on explosives, chemical weapons and nuclear reactors.

Under the proposed measures, a person found guilty of the specific charge of using a biological or poisonous weapon would face an unspecified prison term or a specific term of at least two years or a fine of 10 million yen.

Those found guilty of the specific charge of spreading biological agents or toxins at public places would get up to 10 years in prison or pay a fine up to 5 million yen.