Sep 6 12:53 PM US/Eastern(AP) - WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Kyodo)—U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer renewed his call Thursday that Japan will extend a law for its Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to continue refueling U.S.-led coalition forces in the Indian Ocean in support of the antiterrorism drive in and near Afghanistan.
"The fuel has been provided by Japan to a range of coalition forces...Japan performs a very unique and vital role in this process by providing that fuel," Schieffer said in a speech in Washington.
He said Japan's discontinuation of its Afghan support mission would disrupt the operations of other coalition members, particularly Pakistan, which is the only Muslim nation in the coalition.
"The concern that we have is if Japan decides not to continue this operation, you will basically knock Pakistan out of the coalition," Schieffer said.
"We think it sends a tremendous message to Afghanistan and all of the Middle East that a Muslim nation is prepared to undertake this effort against terrorism," he said.
Japan's largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which gained control of the House of Councillors in July's upper house election along with other opposition parties, has expressed its hostility to extending the antiterrorism law beyond its expiration on Nov. 1.
The Japanese government plans to present a bill to extend the law at an extraordinary Diet session convening later this month. But DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and other opposition camp members object to an extension.
Schieffer said he hopes Ozawa "will look at the position and talk about it not in terms of the effect it will have just on the United States but on the effect that it will on all of these international partners with Japan."
"If those ships weren't out there patrolling in the Indian Ocean, then there would be greater narcotics trafficking, there would be greater contraband and there would be greater access for terrorists to the shipping lanes that are vital to all of us. And that's the issue," he said.
"And what I hope is that the DPJ will realize that and decide to try to differentiate themselves from the government on some other issue," he said.
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