Hiromu Nonaka, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, expressed opposition Friday to a plan to expand the Self-Defense Forces' mission of refueling foreign warships in the Arabian Sea.
"It will cost huge sums of money," Nonaka told the LDP Executive Council. "While some people are committing suicide over the sluggish economy, we shouldn't do a pointless thing."
Maritime Self-Defense Force ships are currently providing fuel to U.S. and British warships under a special antiterrorism law, but the government may expand the mission to include refueling military vessels of several other countries, including Germany and France.