Japan:Japan has ordered two ships home from the Indian Ocean, ending its six-year support for the US-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan and signalling prime minister Yasuo Fukuda's first major political defeat.
Mr Fukuda's new government, which had staked much of its reputation on extending the support, did little yesterday to hide its dismay at the failure to renew an anti-terror law authorising the dispatch of the ships. The law expired at midnight last night.
"It is very regrettable and sad to see naval self-defence forces stop the mission," said defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, who added that he felt "grave responsibility" for the failure.
Mr Ishiba was forced to recall the destroyer and refuelling vessel after his government failed to agree on a compromise with the opposition Democratic Party (DPJ), which opposes the controversial support mission because it is not backed by the United Nations.
DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa reportedly told Mr Fukuda at a meeting on Tuesday that he should "have principles" and not take part in what he called "America's wars". He added: "It's no good just doing whatever the United States asks you to do."
Japan has supplied more than half a billion dollars worth of fuel to US, British and other ships in the Indian Ocean since it introduced emergency anti-terror legislation following the 9/11 attacks. Opponents of the legislation say that it trampled on Japan's pacifist constitution, which bans military operations abroad.
Mr Fukuda yesterday called the mission a "success" and vowed to have the law extended. "We need to continue, by all means, the refuelling activities for our country to fulfil our responsibility . . . to eradicate terrorism," he said.
But with the DPJ in control of Japan's upper house and amid allegations that Japan's ships acted illegally Mr Fukuda's prospects of success are slim.
Opponents claim that the ships supplied 800,000 gallons of fuel to a US aircraft carrier which was deployed to the Iraq war theatre, breaching strict rules which restricted them to providing support only for anti-terror operations in Afghanistan.
Several newspapers have since accused the government of covering up the incident, forcing the prime minister to promise more "transparency" in military affairs.
The end of the support mission is a dangerous loss of face for Mr Fukuda, who took over from Shinzo Abe with a promise to renew the anti-terror law. Mr Abe led the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to its worst ever defeat in July, giving the upper house to the DPJ.
Any signs that the new prime minister cannot control the country's political agenda may force him to call another general election, which could see his party also lose the lower house, ending its half-century grip on power.
Last night Mr Fukuda, who has a reputation for diplomacy and tact, held out another olive branch to the Democrats, offering to meet Mr Ozawa for further discussions on extending the anti-terror law. But, with the stakes so high, some of his LDP colleagues have shown less reserve.
Gen Nakatani, the head of the party's security policy panel, recently called opponents of the mission "terrorists", enraging Mr Ozawa and the Democrats.
The government's chief spokesman, Nobutaka Machimura, yesterday criticised the Democrats for failing to offer constructive alternatives to the law, but he admitted that his government had little choice except to keep courting the opposition. "We must somehow gain support in the upper house," he said.
The anti-terror legislation authorising the dispatch of the ships for Afghanistan and a small force of "peacekeeping troops" to southern Iraq was introduced by then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi in December 2001.