ID :
14615
Sat, 08/02/2008 - 09:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14615
The shortlink copeid
Refueling mission, ministry reform among new defense chief's tasks
TOKYO, Aug. 2 Kyodo - New Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is faced with mounting tasks, such as deciding on whether Japan will continue its antiterrorism mission in the Indian Ocean and how to restore deteriorating public confidence in the problem-taintedDefense Ministry.
The defense minister is also expected to deal with the issue of enacting a controversial permanent law authorizing the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas each time the government sees it necessary, a pledge by Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda.
The realignment of U.S. military facilities in Japan is also a challengingtask, as there is little sign that the stalled project of relocating the U.S.
Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture will make majorprogress in the near future.
In the Indian Ocean, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has a fleet of supply ships and a destroyer to refuel foreign naval vessels participating in the U.S.-led crackdown on ships allegedly linked to terrorism in and nearAfghanistan.
The temporary law authorizing the refueling mission will expire in January and the issue of whether to extend it will be closely watched in the nextparliamentary session, expected to convene by September.
Japan has already decided to pull the Air Self-Defense Force out of its airliftmission in Iraq by the end of this year.
As Japan does not have the SDF in other regions than in the Indian Ocean and in Iraq, a senior government official recently expressed concern about a possible ''double withdrawal'' at similar times, which could lead other countries toregard Japan as less willing to cope with international problems.
The ministry promotes the significance of the refueling mission, saying Japan provided a total of 5,475 kiloliters of fuel to vessels from eight countries between February and June. The MSDF resumed the refueling mission in Februaryafter a near four-month hiatus.
But the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan is clearly opposed to the refueling mission. The DPJ-led opposition camp controls the upper house, or the House of Councillors, and is ready to resist a possible bid by Fukuda to extendthe mission beyond January.
On top of that, the New Komeito party, the partner of Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party in the ruling coalition, has recently become more cautiousabout the extension.
The New Komeito is backed by a major organization of lay Buddhists, Soka Gakkai, and generally takes positions promoting peace and is wary of active SDFoperations overseas.
On the Futemma relocation, the defense minister and other key Cabinet members have held frustrating negotiations with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and otherlocal government leaders.
Okinawa calls for moving the position of the planned relocation site in Nago alittle further off shore, but the central government has so far rejected it.
The issue of moving the Futemma base in Ginowan is a key item of a Japan-U.S.
agreement in 2006 on the realignment of U.S. military facilities in Japan. The United States holds firm to its demand that the accord be implemented withoutany change.
More transparent procurement of defense equipment is another issue the defense minister should tackle, following a series of bribery scandals involving former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya and defense equipment trader MotonobuMiyazaki.
==Kyodo
The defense minister is also expected to deal with the issue of enacting a controversial permanent law authorizing the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas each time the government sees it necessary, a pledge by Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda.
The realignment of U.S. military facilities in Japan is also a challengingtask, as there is little sign that the stalled project of relocating the U.S.
Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture will make majorprogress in the near future.
In the Indian Ocean, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has a fleet of supply ships and a destroyer to refuel foreign naval vessels participating in the U.S.-led crackdown on ships allegedly linked to terrorism in and nearAfghanistan.
The temporary law authorizing the refueling mission will expire in January and the issue of whether to extend it will be closely watched in the nextparliamentary session, expected to convene by September.
Japan has already decided to pull the Air Self-Defense Force out of its airliftmission in Iraq by the end of this year.
As Japan does not have the SDF in other regions than in the Indian Ocean and in Iraq, a senior government official recently expressed concern about a possible ''double withdrawal'' at similar times, which could lead other countries toregard Japan as less willing to cope with international problems.
The ministry promotes the significance of the refueling mission, saying Japan provided a total of 5,475 kiloliters of fuel to vessels from eight countries between February and June. The MSDF resumed the refueling mission in Februaryafter a near four-month hiatus.
But the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan is clearly opposed to the refueling mission. The DPJ-led opposition camp controls the upper house, or the House of Councillors, and is ready to resist a possible bid by Fukuda to extendthe mission beyond January.
On top of that, the New Komeito party, the partner of Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party in the ruling coalition, has recently become more cautiousabout the extension.
The New Komeito is backed by a major organization of lay Buddhists, Soka Gakkai, and generally takes positions promoting peace and is wary of active SDFoperations overseas.
On the Futemma relocation, the defense minister and other key Cabinet members have held frustrating negotiations with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and otherlocal government leaders.
Okinawa calls for moving the position of the planned relocation site in Nago alittle further off shore, but the central government has so far rejected it.
The issue of moving the Futemma base in Ginowan is a key item of a Japan-U.S.
agreement in 2006 on the realignment of U.S. military facilities in Japan. The United States holds firm to its demand that the accord be implemented withoutany change.
More transparent procurement of defense equipment is another issue the defense minister should tackle, following a series of bribery scandals involving former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya and defense equipment trader MotonobuMiyazaki.
==Kyodo
