Japan: Refueling the Defense Debate

Japan's lower house of parliament passed a controversial bill Jan. 11 allowing its armed forces to resume refueling operations in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S. and coalition anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. The bill, controversial because of constitutional restrictions on the use of the country's defense forces, has revealed a split between the Japanese prime minister and the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Despite this split, both leaders support a stronger and more active role for Japan’s defense forces –- and Japan's voters are more concerned with domestic matters anyway.