Japan halts refueling mission for US warships

Despite the earlier combined call made by 11 countries urging Japan to " to extend its naval mission in support of US-led operations in Afghanistan ", the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean has to be halted now because the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) cannot reach a bipartisan agreement on the issue. This is a Japanese example of how domestic politics could critically affect international relations for good or for ill. Like Turkey, Japan has been a defence and security ally of the United States since the early years of the Cold War (1947 - 1991).

US politics impacts on international relations

Exploration of Japan's postwar foreign policy