The government has decided to forgo submitting a bill during the next Diet session that would make international peace missions a "principal duty" of the Self-Defense Forces, government sources said Sunday.
Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono had expressed willingness to submit the bill to the Diet during the 150-day regular session that starts next month to make international activities the second pillar of SDF duties, behind only defending the country.
An updated defense policy outline adopted Dec. 10 calls for a more proactive role in international peace operations.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said when the outline was adopted that legislative measures would be taken to refine the categorization of the SDF's international peace activities, implying the government was ready to upgrade such overseas operations to a "principal duty."