A parliament panel of Japan's lower house Monday passed a controversial bill to resume the country's refueling support to US-led antiterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean.

The bill cleared the House of Representatives' committee on antiterrorism and Iraq reconstruction affairs on a majority vote and will go through the lower house in a plenary session on Tuesday and then be sent to the upper house.

However, the opposition-controlled House of Councilors is expected to reject the bill, as the oppositions, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, have been strongly against the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in and near Afghanistan.

Backed by the ruling camp, the parliament decided last week to extend the current Diet session by 35 days through Dec. 15, to guarantee sufficient time for deliberations over the bill.

If the bill fails to clear the House of Councilors, the ruling parties are expected to take a second vote in the House of Representatives and pass the bill into law with a two-thirds majority, analysts said.

Japan had halted a six-year refueling support for foreign vessels participating in US-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan at the end of October before the special antiterrorism measures law authorizing such operations expired on Nov. 1. Last month, the government submitted to the Diet a bill for a new law to continue the refueling support.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2007)