Signs of shakiness have begun to appear in the alliance between Japan and the United States, which seemed to get increasingly strong under the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, especially after the enactment of two laws that removed some of the obstacles to actions to be taken by the Self-Defense Forces in case of emergency.
The change has been triggered by the resounding victory scored by the Democratic Party of Japan in the Upper House election in July last year, giving the opposition camp a majority in the Upper House.
The governing coalition had to wait until Feb. 21 to resume fuel supply by Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to American and other naval vessels engaged in antiterrorist operations in the Indian Ocean, because the special law authorizing such supply expired at the end of October and the opposition parties in the Upper House blocked its renewal.