Tokyo, October 13: Japan’s defense ministry says that it will end its nearly 8-year-old refueling mission in support of US-led controversial war in Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said on Tuesday Japan would pull out its two naval ships from the Indian Ocean next January.
“The law will expire in January. We will solemnly withdraw based on the law,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano quoted Kitazawa as saying.
Hirano, however, said a final decision had not been made on whether to end the mission, which supplies fuel and water to US and other ships policing the Indian Ocean for weapons and drug smugglers as well as terrorists.
“The defense minister’s statement should be accepted seriously as a defense minister’s statement,” Hirano noted.
“But as a whole, the government has not necessarily decided on it as of now,” said Hirano, who also acts as the government’s top spokesman.
Hirano said that Tokyo is studying what other contributions would be best for the region, adding that his country wanted to decide on a plan before US President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit Nov. 12-13.
New Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has opposed the refueling mission, saying Japan should take humanitarian measures to help Afghanistan restore peace.
—–Agencies