Ruling coalition members on a key Diet committee approved a bill enabling the Self-Defense Forces to support U.S.-led military operations against terrorism, paving the way for the bill's full Diet passage next week.
The three-way coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, voted Tuesday evening at a Lower House special committee for a revised version of the proposed bill that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi presented to opposition leaders Monday night.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi bows to lawmakers as a key Lower House panel approves the SDF dispatch bill.