The refueling mission in the Indian Ocean was officially extended Wednesday until July 15.
"It is good that we have been able to extend the mission from the standpoint of making an international contribution," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said after an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet.
During the meeting, the Cabinet endorsed a revision of the Basic Plan for the Maritime Self-Defense Force mission based on the Dec. 12 enactment of a law to extend Japanese support for U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan.
Without the extension, the legal basis for the mission would have come to an end Jan. 15. The government kept other parts of the Basic Plan intact, including mobilizing up to 500 MSDF members to take part in the mission and sending them to noncombat areas such as the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
The MSDF is deploying a destroyer for protection and a supply ship to refuel foreign naval vessels participating in U.S.-led efforts to interdict ships linked to terrorism in the region.
Hamada said the refueling mission has helped cut off the source of funds for terrorists.
"Although the number of refueling (operations) for the United States has decreased, that for Pakistan has steadily increased," he said.