Japan to ask recipient nations to use fuel only for antiterror mission

Japan to ask recipient nations to use fuel only for antiterror mission
Tuesday, February 5, 2008

TOKYO — The cabinet endorsed a plan Tuesday to exchange diplomatic documents on Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean with a number of countries, asking that they use the oil only for U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan. Tokyo plans to exchange the documents with Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Pakistan and the United States, government officials said.

The move came after the Japanese government came under fire at home over allegations that some of the fuel Japan provided for the Afghan-related operations could have been diverted to unauthorized purposes, such as U.S.-led operations in Iraq, during the previous Japanese mission from 2001 to 2007. The documents ask the potential recipient countries to use Japan's fuel and water in line with the antiterrorism law of Japan and for purposes that would not go against the U.N. Charter, and not hand it over to a third country without Tokyo's advance consent.


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