Military

DATE=11/08/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=JAPAN / AFGHANISTAN / L-O

NUMBER=2-282854

BYLINE=AMY BICKERS

DATELINE=TOKYO

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Japan plans to dispatch three warships as early as Friday to

provide non-combat support to the American-led strikes on suspected

terrorist sites in Afghanistan. As V-O-A's Amy Bickers reports from Tokyo, the

decision comes shortly after the enactment of new laws giving the

Japanese military a wider, non-combat role in the war.

TEXT: Japan's cabinet voted Thursday night to send the two destroyers

and a supply vessel to aid the war effort. According to a spokesman

for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, they will head for the

Indian Ocean from Nagasaki Prefecture, about 1000 kilometers southwest of

Tokyo.

They are expected to gather intelligence and to chart a route for other

Japanese ships which are expected to follow. About 700 crew members

will be aboard the vessels.

The move comes after parliament approved legislation, last month, which

allows Japanese troops to provide rear-guard support to the United

States and its allies in the war on terrorism. The legislation is

controversial in Japan because the nation's constitution -- written

after World War Two -- bans the country from using force to resolve

international disputes.

Tokyo is reported to have considered deploying a destroyer equipped with a

high-tech Aegis radar system but decided such a move would impair its self-defense ability.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other leaders want to

demonstrate Japan is eager to do more than just send money to aid

the war effort, as it did during the Gulf War in the early 1990's.

The Koizumi Administration hopes to finish a plan for Japan's role in

the war. By law it will be allowed to provide transportation, medical

assistance and logistical help to allied troops, but will not get

involved in combat. (SIGNED)

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