A government-proposed bill to allow the Self-Defense Forces to be dispatched to Iraq to assist in reconstruction efforts cleared a special committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The committee action paves the way for the bill's enactment by the July 28 end of the current Diet session.
The bill, which passed with the backing of the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- will be put to a vote at a Friday plenary session of the Lower House. If it clears the lower chamber, it would then be sent to the House of Councilors.