Japan's involvement in antiterrorism efforts in the Indian Ocean must continue regardless of which party holds power in the Diet, new Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said in an interview.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force has provided oil and water for U.S.-led multinational forces engaged in antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan since 2001, with a brief interruption caused by the expiration of the special law last November.
But the antiterrorism law now requires a further extension or the MSDF operations will be suspended a second time starting in January.