The Cabinet formally endorsed a package of bills Friday that will enable the Defense Agency chief to call in Self-Defense Forces reservists for disaster relief activities.
Only SDF and SDF Ready Reserves personnel currently engage in these activities.
The duties of some 48,000 SDF reservists have been limited to rear guard and logistic support in the event of an attack on Japan, while Ready Reserves personnel -- who are part of the Ground Self-Defense Forces -- can take part in a wider range of SDF operations.
The Ready Reserves number approximately 4,900.
The bills, which are to be submitted to the current Diet session, also pave the way for civilians without any service experience to be employed as SDF reservists following a period of training. At present, the SDF reserves only hire SDF veterans.
The Cabinet approved in December a new five-year defense buildup program, beginning in fiscal 2001, in which Ground Self-Defense Force members are to be reduced from the current 166,000 to 156,000, including 10,000 Ready Reserve members.
The midterm program also aims to enhance SDF capability in a variety of disaster relief activities.
The revisions included in Friday's bills also enable the agency to temporarily hire private-sector specialists in fields such as information technology engineering, medicine and law, for terms of up to five years, agency officials said.