By DPA
Tokyo : The Japanese defence minister Thursday ordered the nation’s military to send refuelling ships to support US-led occupation forces in Afghanistan, news reports said.
Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba ordered Maritime Self-Defence (MSDF) vessels to the Indian Ocean, where they will provide fuel to allied warships operating in and around Afghanistan.
MSDF will send some 500 members on the 13,500-tonne ship Oumi and the 4,550-tonne destroyer Murasame with the initial deployment leaving as early as Jan 24, Kyodo News Agency said.
Japan’s refuelling mission was suspended in November as a special law allowing the deployment expired and the government failed to extend it in time due to lack of support from opposition parties.
But the government won parliamentary approval last Friday for a new bill to resume the refuelling mission for another year.