The naval mission in support of US-led military operations in Afghanistan could be halted for up to a year because of opposition stalling in parliament, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday.

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged that passing the new law before current legislation expires on November 1 looked impossible because opposition parties that control parliament's upper house are against the mission.

"Even if we can continue the mission, I think there will be a hiatus," Ishiba said.

"However much we hurry, I think there will be a suspension of about two months," he said.

"In the best case, the opposition would agree to it, and we could start again in a month or so. But in the worst possible case, there is a possibility it could take up to a year."

While the ruling camp, led by the LDP, could override the upper house with its two-thirds majority in the lower chamber, lawmakers might well be reluctant to risk a backlash among voters by doing so.

Ishiba said the government needed a rise in public support for the mission before it could take such a step.

Agencies

(China Daily 10/18/2007 page12)