Japan passes anti-terror bill to revive Indian Ocean mission

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Japan's ruling coalition forced a bill through parliament Friday to revive a US-backed anti-terror mission in the Indian Ocean, clearing the way for Japanese ships to return to the region after a monthslong absence. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said the new mission would be dispatched by the end of the month, launching a limited version of a six-year refueling operation that was suspended in November. To get the mission approved, Fukuda's ruling coalition used a rare legislative procedure of winning a vote in the powerful lower house by a two-thirds majority to overrule the opposition-controlled upper house.