JAPAN REFUELING MISSION TO CONTINUE, ANTI-TERROR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003142 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2018 TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PREL JA SUBJECT: JAPAN REFUELING MISSION TO CONTINUE, ANTI-TERROR SPECIAL MEASURES LAW TO PASS ON NOVEMBER 20 REF: TOKYO 3069 Classified By: AMBASSADOR J. THOMAS SCHIEFFER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) The bill extending the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law will clear the Diet on November 20, according to Embassy Tokyo contacts in the Diet and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will vote on the bill on November 18 and then send it to an Upper House plenary session on the 19th, where it is expected to be rejected and returned to the Lower House. The Lower House, using its power to override the rejection, will approve the bill in a plenary session on November 20. This approval will extend the refueling law authorizing the Maritime Self-Defense Forces Indian Ocean refueling mission for one year beyond its current January 15, 2009 expiration. ¶2. (C) Following the October 31 ouster of former Air Self Defense Force Chief of Staff Toshio Tamogami (reftel),and his subsequent, unapologetic November 11 Diet testimony, Japanese government officials had predicted a multi-week delay in the passage of the Anti-Terror bill. Prime Minister Aso's public remarks calling Tamogami's essay "extremely inappropriate" and his promise to implement educational programs on WWII that are in line with Japanese government views, blunted criticism. The bill's more rapid-than-expected passage through the Upper House has also been aided by Aso's participation in November 13 opposition-led deliberations on civilian control of the Self-Defense Forces. Cabinet Secretariat interlocutors tell Embassy Tokyo that the Tamogami flap and OEF have been delinked and regardless of the outcome of the civilian control deliberations, the Anti-Terror bill will be enacted on November 20. SCHIEFFER