Japan extends parliament, PM eyes Afghan bill

Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:31am EST

TOKYO Dec 14 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling bloc on Friday extended the current parliament's session by one month to ensure passage of a bill that would resume a naval mission to refuel U.S. and other ships patrolling the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has pledged to restart the mission, which Washington says is vital to its war on terrorism in and around Afghanistan, but opposition parties, which have control of the upper house, have vowed to vote it down.

Fukuda's ruling coalition can override an upper house rejection with its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower chamber, but only after an upper house vote or a waiting period of 60 days after the initial lower house approval.

The extension until Jan. 15, decided by a lower house vote, would give the ruling bloc enough time to force the bill's passage.

Pushing the bill through could prompt the main opposition Democratic Party and smaller allies to adopt a rare censure motion against Fukuda in the upper house, which would put pressure on the prime minister to call a snap poll. [ID:nT128495]

But ruling party officials have stressed that such a motion would not be binding, hinting that Fukuda would ignore it.

The opposition is against the naval mission, saying it lacks a United Nations mandate. Japanese ships pulled out after enabling legislation expired on Nov. 1. (Reporting by George Nishiyama; Editing by Mike Miller)




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