The ruling coalition rammed a government-proposed bill to send Self-Defense Forces to Iraq through a House of Councilors committee Friday evening amid resistance from the opposition, paving the way for final Diet approval of the controversial legislation.
Earlier in the day, the ruling alliance, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, rejected a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in a 287-178 vote in the House of Representatives.
The motion, submitted earlier in the day by the opposition camp, was a last-ditch attempt to block the Upper House vote on the bill that would allow SDF troops to take part in Iraqi reconstruction efforts.