The Upper House of the Diet on Friday passed a key bill extending by another two years the special antiterrorism law. The debate proceeded without a hitch by skirting an essential discussion. The central question -- what roles Japan should play in the international fight against terror -- was not thoroughly discussed partly because the debate took just several days and partly because obsession over the imminent dissolution of the Lower House ahead of the general election next month directed legislators' attention to personal bread-and-butter issues.

The Diet also fell short of expectations in dealing with more specific questions, such as how to evaluate the activities carried out by Self-Defense Force ships dispatched to the Indian Ocean under the two-year legislation. Not much discussion was conducted, either, on another crucial question: Why is it necessary to continue SDF activities in the area?

This legislation has opened the way for nonmilitary SDF deployment abroad to support U.S.-led military operations. As such, it has given a new dimension to the nation's security policy. The law is, therefore, related to the planned SDF dispatch to Iraq under a special measure mandating reconstruction aid for the war-ravaged country and to a government proposal for permanent legislation that would allow the SDF to deploy overseas whenever necessary.