Members of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet are in agreement on terminating the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean when the special law authorizing the deployment expires Jan. 15, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Tuesday.
"For the Democratic Party of Japan, there is no option to enact a new law to continue the refueling mission," Kitazawa told a news conference.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has said the government will not "simply extend" the mission.