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SYDNEY: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned on Sunday that he may resign if his government fails to extend a mandate for the country's mission in support of US troops in Afghanistan.
"Of course, I have no intention of staying in my job," Abe told reporters here when asked whether he was ready to resign if his coalition was unable to extend the mandate.
The embattled premier, whose government is already on the rocks after an election defeat and a series of cabinet scandals, needs to secure opposition support for legislation allowing the mission to continue.
"I have to fulfil my duty by using all of my force," added Abe, speaking from Sydney where he has been attending a summit of Asia Pacific leaders.
"International contribution is one of the bases of my assertive diplomacy," he said. "We must continue the activities at any cost."
The opposition is against the mission, in which Japanese ships help refuel jets operating in Afghanistan, but the United States has warned that pulling out would damage relations between the long-standing allies.
Japan, which is officially pacifist, provides logistical support under legislation, enacted after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which allows Tokyo's participation in the US-led "war on terror".
The legislation is set to expire November 1.
Abe's coalition still controls the more powerful lower house of parliament but lost control of the upper house to the opposition two months ago.
"Prime Minister Abe has resorted to a big gamble," said Tetsuro Kato, professor of international politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.
"He meant he wants to swap his job with the extension, but the possibility of winning the gamble is pretty slim," Kato told AFP.
The ruling coalition plans to begin deliberations on the mission as parliament opens on Monday, with a newly empowered opposition set to do all it can to bring him down.
Following a meeting with US President George W. Bush on Saturday, Abe told reporters: "Continuing fuel supplies is Japan's responsibility to the international community. We really have to carry it out."
"This is not just a promise to the United States, but an international promise. Therefore, my responsibility is grave," Abe said.
Bush voiced hope for extending the mission, saying: "Japan provides a vital service not only to the United States, but to other countries as a refueler of our ships."
A number of Japanese ministers have apologised or resigned for financial irregularities just weeks after Abe reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to bolster his sagging support and wipe the slate clean of earlier scandals.
The reshuffle came after a shock defeat for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in upper house parliamentary elections late July, which forced his conservative party to lose a majority in the chamber for the first time ever.
The opposition is also expected to flex its muscle in parliament by seeking symbolic censure motions against scandal-hit cabinet ministers and possibly Abe himself.
Abe, an outspoken conservative and Japan's first premier born after World War II, took office nearly a year ago with a popular, youthful image, but his public support has plunged over a raft of scandals and gaffes.
- AFP/so
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