The Lower House approved a special antiterrorism bill Tuesday to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to continue refueling multinational warships engaged in counterterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean — a key goal of Prime Minister Taro Aso for this Diet session.
The bill was passed by the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc and immediately sent to the Upper House for deliberations.
The opposition-controlled Upper House, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, is set to swiftly reject the bill, with the ruling coalition then expected to hold an overriding vote in the Lower House via its two-thirds majority and pass the bill by month's end.