Japan OKs Bill to Guard U.S. Bases By Associated Press

October 4, 2001, 10:42 PM EDT

TOKYO -- The Japanese Cabinet on Friday endorsed two bills that authorize Japan's military to guard U.S. bases on its soil and provide non-combat support for U.S.-led reprisals against terrorists, a spokesman said.

The draft laws are the most politically sensitive of a set of anti-terrorism measures pledged last month by the popular conservative leader, who must balance the constraints of Japan's pacifist constitution with the expectations of its allies.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's three-party majority coalition wants the nation's legislature to vote the bills into law by the end of this month. But his political foes -- especially Japan's small Socialist and Communist parties -- are expected to put up a bitter fight in Parliament.

At a meeting Friday morning, the Cabinet also approved the use of Japanese military transport planes to carry humanitarian aid for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said Tsutomu Himeno, Koizumi's deputy press secretary.

The six Self-Defense Force transports are scheduled to depart Saturday for Pakistan with tents, blankets, sleeping mats and water tanks for the estimated 1.5 million refugees who Japan says could cross the border. The planes should arrive Oct. 9, the government said in a statement.

Japan drew fire for contributing only money during the 1991 Gulf war. Stung by that criticism, Koizumi and other conservative leaders have said they want to play a more visible role in the U.S.-led campaign against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

The draft law authorizing Japan's military to provide logistical support would allow units to transport weapons and ammunition as well as supplies. They are confined, however, to "rear areas" _ areas where fighting is not taking place or expected to take place.

The other bill would enable Japanese troops to protect U.S. bases in Japan against terrorists. It is an amendment to a law that restricts internal security duties to the nation's police in the absence of a state of emergency. Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001