No instructions prohibiting Japan’s fuel from being used for Iraq operations: U.S. Central Command commander

   A senior U.S. Central Command official on October 3 denied the existence of any instructions that forbid the U.S. forces to use for operations in Iraq the fuel that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force gave them in the Indian Ocean.

   Asked by a reporter at a press conference in Washington if the U.S. forces have ever instructed its warships to take part in operations only in and around Afghanistan after being refueled by Japan’s supply ships, Brig. Gen. Robert Holmes, the U.S. Central Command deputy director of operations, said, “I am not aware of those instructions.”

   The Japanese government is insisting that the U.S. forces have used the fuel only for the Operation Enduring Freedom in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Special Measurers Law.

   In a written reply dated October 2, the Fukuda Cabinet stated, “The government has exchanged, with nations concerned, diplomatic notes clearly stating that Japan conducts refueling operations based on the special measures law. The government understands that the fuel has been used properly in accordance with the law.”

- Akahata, October 5, 2007