Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on Friday ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) to end its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean that have been supporting U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.

The move is part of the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) moves to change the way the nation's foreign policy is handled.

In its manifesto, the DPJ said that it would aim to "eradicate terrorism and its breeding grounds, study the implementation of economic assistance, strengthening of government institutions and humanitarian and reconstruction activities ... and contribute to the eradication of poverty and to national reconstruction."

This policy marks a shift from the Liberal Democratic Party's, which saw the then-governing group push laws through parliament amid opposition allowing the Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) to be involved in an overseas conflict for the first time since World War II.

The law, first passed by the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2001, proved controversial because article 9 in Japan's constitution, drawn up by Japanese and U.S. occupation forces working under Gen. Douglas MacArthur states "Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."

Despite this, the U.S. has in recent times pushed for more Japanese involvement in international conflicts, so the move to end the Afghan mission is likely to irk Tokyo's ally, but not do lasting damage to the alliance.

As Sarah McDowall, an analyst with IHS global insight points out: "The DPJ has long stressed Japan's pacifist constitution, arguing against Japanese participation in American conflict situations. At the same time, the government needs to reflect Japanese public sentiment on the security issue, as there is less support for involvement in Afghanistan than Washington would like."

Japan's government will, however, still contribute to the effort in the region. "The Japanese comfort level is in human security, which means boots on the ground contributing to development through engineers, doctors, educators. Those sorts of people," Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University, said. "If Japan provides this sort of assistance, America will be satisfied."

McDowall agrees that the U.S. is likely to maintain a strong alliance with Japan. "The U.S.-Japan security alliance is likely to remain the cornerstone of Washington's foreign policy in the Asia Pacific region, even though thorny issues such as Japan's decision to halt its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean will place growing strain on the relationship."

The move comes at a time when there are tensions between the United States and Japan over a DPJ decision to reassess a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by the two parties in 2006 that will allow tens of thousands of American troops to remain in Okinawa.

Progress on resolving the SOFA issue has been slow and at times Washington has expressed its frustration with DPJ's unwillingness to follow through on the agreement, which was signed by the previous LDP government and the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush.

The DPJ was, however, elected after campaigning on a promise to make the alliance with the United States "more equal" and has kept to that promise. The DPJ does, however, seem to value its partner across the Pacific.

"The Japanese-U.S. alliance is key to Japanese diplomacy," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently wrote on his account with microblogging site Twitter, when discussing a recent visit to Hawaii to discuss the SOFA agreement by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.

For his part, Okada has insisted that while the refueling mission may be ending, the Japanese contribution to efforts in Afghanistan is far from over. "We are looking to the future to try and improve the situation in Afghanistan. I am sure there are a lot of different motivations for joining the Taliban, but one of them seems to be that people have no other sources of income. Therefore we are looking at offering income guarantees and vocational training so people will not have to turn to the Taliban but will be able to support their families in other ways," the foreign minister said at a news conference last year.

Japan has pledged to contribute a maximum of five billion dollars in aid to the region over the next five years, a move supported by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

"Japan should consider and decide on its own what it can and should do to help restore stability in Afghanistan, instead of acting in response to pressures from other countries. With Japan's military role in Afghanistan restricted by its pacifist Constitution, the best it can do is to provide as much civilian assistance as possible," the newspaper wrote in an editorial.