The government will do whatever it takes to ensure that Maritime Self-Defense Force warships continue their mission in the Indian Ocean in support of the NATO-led antiterrorism campaign in Afghanistan, new Defense Minister Masahiko Komura said.
Drawing up a new dispatch law for Diet submission is among options the government may take if the opposition camp moves to block the extension of the current antiterrorism law, which expires Nov. 1, according to Komura, a former foreign minister who was appointed to his current post in the Aug. 27 Cabinet reshuffle.
MSDF vessels have been supplying water and fuel to ships belonging to the multinational force engaged in Afghanistan, including the United States, Germany, France, Canada and Pakistan.