Refueling law enacted
(From The Japan Times Jan. 14 issue)

要約
新テロ特措法が成立

By using a special provision in the Constitution, the ruling parties have voted into law a bill that enables the resumption of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. The mission is expected to resume in mid-February.

It is regrettable that the law was enacted as the ruling and opposition camps failed to mount enough efforts to find common ground and reach a compromise on the issue of how to improve the lives of the Afghan people.

The government had to temporarily halt the refueling mission in early November because it failed to have the Diet extend a predecessor law for the mission -- a consequence of the ruling parties' defeat in the July 29 Upper House election, which enabled the opposition camp to control the chamber.

The enactment of the new law came as a relief to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who told U.S. President George W. Bush in mid-November that he would do his best to resume the MSDF's mission in the Indian Ocean. After the enactment, Mr. Fukuda said that "it is really significant" that Japan can again take part in the international fight against terrorism. From December 2001 to Nov. 1, 2007, Japan provided about 487,000 kiloliters of fuel to naval ships of the United States and 10 other countries on 794 occasions, with the overwhelming amount going to U.S. ships.

The law limits the MSDF's activities to supplying fuel and water to naval ships of other countries engaged in maritime interdiction activities to stop the movement of terrorists and weapons in the Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf. It expires one year after taking effect, but is renewable.

There are problems with the law. While the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces overseas is a politically and constitutionally important issue, the law does not include a provision that requires Diet approval of any program to dispatch an SDF unit for the mission. The ruling parties decided not to include such a provision because a dispatch program is unlikely to be approved with the Upper House controlled by the opposition. The omission of the Diet approval provision could lead to a weakening of civilian control of the SDF.

The suspicion was also raised by opposition lawmakers that part of the fuel provided by the MSDF to the U.S. Navy had been used in operations related to the war in Iraq, which was not included in the purpose of the predecessor law. The newly enacted law does not provide for a mechanism to prevent diversion of fuel and water provided by the MSDF from antiterrorism operations related to Afghanistan. So the government must be watchful.

The opposition's control of the Upper House forced the bill to take an extraordinary path. After the predecessor law expired Nov. 1, the Lower House passed the bill Nov. 13. The Upper House turned down the bill Jan. 11. But soon after that, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito pushed the bill through by relying on an unusual procedure: It used a provision in Article 59 of the Constitution, which says that the Lower House can enact into law a bill that has been voted down by the Upper House by passing it a second time with a yes vote by two-thirds or more of the members present.

This is the first time in 57 years that such a procedure has been used. The enactment by way of the rarely used recourse happened at a time when people's understanding or support of the bill is weak.

What is regrettable is that the ruling and opposition forces did not conduct sufficient discussions on how to best help the Afghan people, despite ample time for such discussions. The Lower House started its deliberations on the bill Oct. 23 and the ruling parties extended the current extraordinary session twice to Jan. 15.

The Diet failed to fully discuss whether the antiterrorism operations and Japan's support activities are promoting peace in Afghanistan and contributing to the welfare of people there. Not only the ruling parties but also the Democratic Party of Japan, the No. 1 opposition party, is to blame. It was not until Dec. 21 that the DPJ submitted its counterproposal bill to the Diet, calling particularly for dispatch of SDF members to Afghanistan for disarmament of extremists, and humanitarian and reconstruction missions.

Such a delay deepens doubts about the DPJ's seriousness about helping improve the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Fukuda said the government will "actively push" humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to help Afghanistan with its nation-building. The government should be true to Mr. Fukuda's word.

憲法の規定に基づき、連立与党はアフガニスタン国内、周辺での反テロ軍事作戦を支援するため、インド洋上における海上自衛隊による連合軍艦船への給油活動の再開を可能にする新テロ特措法を成立させた。

11月初旬から中断されていた給油活動は2月に再開される予定。7月29日の参院選で与党が惨敗し、野党が多数を占めたため、旧法の失効前に延長ができなかった。

新法の成立後、福田首相は、日本がテロとの闘いに参加できることは「大きな意義がある」と語った。新法は成立後1年で失効するが、延長可能である。同法は、自衛隊の海外派遣について国会の承認を必要とする条項を含んでいない。この条項の欠如は、自衛隊の文民統制の弱体化につながる恐れがある。

また、米軍艦船に供給された燃料がイラク戦争に関連して使用されたのではないかという疑惑がある。新法には、供給された水、燃料のアフガニスタン関係以外への転用を防ぐ仕組みがない。政府はその点に注意せねばならない。

旧法が昨年11月1日失効後、衆院は新法を11月13日に可決したが、参院は1月11日に否決した。そこで、与党は憲法59条の規定の下で、衆院の3分の2以上の賛成で再可決、成立させた。国会は、反テロ軍事作戦に対する日本の支援活動が、アフガニスタンの平和に貢献しているかどうかについて十分な審議を行わなかった。民主党が与党の新テロ特措法の対案を国会に提出したのは12月21日だった。

民主党は、アフガニスタンの平和貢献について真剣に対応する意図があるのか疑問がある。福田首相は、アフガニスタンへの人道・復興援助を「積極的に推進する」意向を示している。政府は首相の約束を守るべきである。