TOKYO: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved Friday a Japanese government plan to send Self-Defense Forces troops to the Middle East on a mission to secure sea lane safety in the region.

In response to concerns that the plan could ease restraints on overseas activities by the SDF, the government has decided to require the SDF's activities to be reported to the Diet, Japan's parliament.

According to the plan, the government will send a Maritime SDF destroyer to the Middle East, basing the mission on the Defense Ministry establishment law's Article 4, which calls for conducting necessary survey and research.

An MSDF P-3C patrol plane, now engaged in an antipiracy mission off Somalia, will also be utilized to gather information in the Middle East mission.

The government plans to dispatch some 200 troops for the sea patrol and about 50 for the air patrol.

In the event of emergencies, the SDF troops may be ordered to carry out maritime security operations to protect vessels related to Japan, based on Article 82 of the SDF law.

The mission is set to be operated in the high seas of the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden on the eastern side of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

 Japan will not participate in a US-proposed coalition of countries aimed at ensuring safe navigation in areas around the Strait of Hormuz, choosing to make its own contributions through the SDF dispatch plan.

Under the plan, the one-year mission will be extended upon cabinet approval. The government will require the SDF's activities to be reported to the Diet when the mission is approved at a cabinet meeting and also when the mission is finished, to ensure the involvement of the Diet.

The government also gave a detailed explanation on the SDF dispatch plan to the LDP's ruling coalition partner, Komeito, on Friday.

The government aims to adopt the plan at a cabinet meeting on Dec. 23, after gaining the ruling camp's approval.

JIJI Press