Japan should take part in Maritime Interdiction Operation: a DPJ Dietmember

   Democratic Party representative Tajima Kaname, who took the rostrum in the House of Representatives plenary session, on November 13, urged the government to consider undertaking the main mission of the Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO).

   In the plenary session, the DPJ voted against a government bill to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force refueling mission in the Indian Ocean as part of the MIO.

   Tajima, however, stressed that having the MSDF engage in the main MIO activities will serve Japan’s national interest better than limiting it to the refueling operation.

   In the DPJ Dietmembers’ Group meeting earlier in the day, Tajima referred to how he became a member of the special committee dealing with the bill and stated, “In the beginning, I thought that I could support the MSDF refueling mission.”

   With the new moves that the DPJ have made since the LDP-DPJ party heads discussed the possibility of a grand coalition between them, the ruling parties, for their part, expressed a strong hope that the DPJ may join with them.

   In the committee meeting, Liberal Democratic Party representative Nishimura Yasutoshi praised the DPJ for proposing the enactment of a permanent law to dispatch the SDF abroad, stating, “The DPJ’s stance has been very constructive.”

   Komei representative Taniguchi Kazufumi called on the DPJ to submit its counterproposal based on a broader position of fighting terrorism and to then sit down to iron out the details.
- Akahata, November 14, 2007