Tokyo - Japan has enacted a controversial bill to allow its military to go abroad to back up US-led strikes in Afghanistan, paving the way for a possible first overseas dispatch of sophisticated Aegis destroyers.
The legislation, which clarifies the role Japan's military could play in the US actions without violating the nation's war-renouncing constitution, cleared the parliament's Upper House. It was approved by the more powerful lower chamber earlier this month. The previous law had barred Japan from engaging in any type of military action unless it was threatened or attacked directly.
Under the new law, effective for two years and extendable for two more, Japan could dispatch military forces and vessels to provide rearguard logistical support, such as medical services and the provision of supplies, as well as humanitarian aid for refugees.
