Bill to extend refueling for U.S. forces in Indian Ocean submitted

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Bill to extend refueling for U.S. forces in Indian Ocean submitted

The government on October 6 submitted to the Diet a bill to extend by one year the Special Measures Law on Terrorism which is due to expire on November 1, showing its determination to forcibly enact it in a short period.

The Special Measures Law on Terrorism came into effect in October 2001 as legislation with a two-year term limit in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States, for the purpose of supporting the U.S. retaliatory war against Afghanistan. Since then, the law has been extended twice.

Under this law, the Maritime Self-Defense Force has been undertaking operations to refuel U.S. warships in the Indian Ocean.

The Defense Agency has dispatched 51 supply and escort vessels as well as about 10,000 SDF personnel to the area since November 2001.

The MSDF ships have so far given a total amount of 450,000 kiloliters of fuel 678 times to 310 U.S. and other vessels. The MSDF is also engaged in refueling carrier-borne helicopters and providing water supplies. The cost of the operations has reached 20 billion yen in total.

The primary duty of these multi national vessels is to seize terrorists, arms, and drugs in the seas around the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf. However, it reportedly has had little success, and no terrorist attack has occurred recently in the Indian Ocean and its surrounding sea areas.

After launching the Iraq War in 2003, the United States has been carrying out the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq as a single war.

Through its activities in the Indian Ocean, the MSDF has been supporting U.S. military operations in Iraq, which is beyond what the Special Measures Law on Terrorism allows.

The past five years have proved that wars do not eradicate terrorism but further fuel it. The extension of the Special Measures Law on Terrorism, therefore, is simply to continuously take part in U.S. wars.
- Akahata, October 7, 2006