The Diet last Monday enacted an antiterrorism bill that would allow the Self-Defense Forces to give an unprecedented level of support to U.S.-led forces overseas, along with two related bills. The main bill, which provides for rear-area support, does not let the SDF take part in combat operations. It does, however, allow SDF troops to go overseas during hostilities, marking a major change in Japan's security policy.
The turnaround reflects an increased awareness among Japanese of the need for international cooperation to fight terrorism. The once-fierce political debate between the ruling and opposition forces over the pros and cons of dispatching SDF troops overseas has quieted down.
Japan, however, faces many unsettled security issues, including revisions of the law on cooperation in a U.N. peacekeeping operation, or PKO, and the enactment of a law for dealing with military emergencies. It also must formulate a comprehensive security policy and establish diplomatic strategies for reconstruction in post-Taliban Afghanistan.