The government should consider applying the 2001 antiterrorism law to the impending U.S.-led war on Iraq if Washington can prove its actions are part of the fight against terrorism, according to a Defense Agency think tank.

In this year's "East Asian Strategic Review," released Tuesday, the National Institute for Defense Studies says that the government will have to offer some form of support, given Japan's close ties with the United States.

The antiterrorism law allows logistic support for the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan for a set period.