The Lower House approved a bill Thursday that will enable the Self-Defense Forces to lend rear-area support to U.S.-led retaliatory strikes against the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
The bill cleared the chamber in the afternoon in a standing vote backed by the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party. Two other related bills also cleared the chamber. One will enable the SDF to guard its own bases and U.S. bases in Japan, and the other will allow the Japan Coast Guard to fire on suspicious vessels.
The three bills were immediately sent to the Upper House and are expected to clear the Diet by the end of the month.