Chancellor Merkel pushes for Japan's mission to Afghanistan (1st Lead)

Aug 30, 2007, 9:02 GMT

Tokyo - German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday tried to convince Japan's opposition leader to back extending the military mission in Afghanistan.

   Ichiro Ozawa, head of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, told Merkel he opposed the extension of the mission to refuel ships in the Indian Ocean, which expires on November 1, the party said in a statement reported by Kyodo news agency.

   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is having difficulty convincing the opposition to agree to extend the special law to continue the deployment.

   'Japan's refueling mission contributes to German navy vessels, and is also sought by the international community. I plan to explain those things to the Democrats,' Abe said Thursday.

   The Democratic Party of Japan gained control of the upper house of parliament from Abe's ruling party Liberal Democratic Party in the July 29 elections. Ozawa has argued that broader United Nations authorization is needed for Japan to engage in the military mission.

   Earlier Thursday Merkel, who arrived in Japan from China on Wednesday, was received by Emperor Akihito before giving a speech on climate control to business symposium.

   The German chancellor wants to achieve worldwide obligatory climatic protection goals by 2009, proposing concrete goals for individual countries.

   It isn't sufficient if each country says it is doing as much as it can, said Merkel. in her speech, adding that what is needed are 'qualifable reduction goals' to decrease carbon dioxide.

   For the first time Merkel called for the reduction of greenhouse gases by developing countries such as China and India, saying that in the long-term the carbon dioxide output per head of the population in developing countries is not to rise more than in industrialized nations.

   The industrialized countries should try to decrease their energy consumption which would also involve dropping the carbon dioxide output per head, said Merkel.

   The developing countries therefore have the task to use 'intelligent growth' and not let their pollutant output rise so fast.

   On Wednesday, Merkel and Abe and pledged that their countries would be at the vanguard of efforts towards the reduction of greenhouse gases.

   During her three-day stay in Japan the German chancellor is also to visit Kyoto and Osaka.