Japan's upper house on Friday voted for a bill which aims to speed up the process of intercepting missiles against Japan.

Under the revision to the Self-Defense Forces Law, the Defense Agency chief is able to order interception in emergencies without the approval of the prime minister and the cabinet.

The bill was approved by the ruling-coalition-controled House of Representatives in June.

The missile interception bill has stirred up contentions that the civilian control over the Self-Defense Forces would be weakened.

Under a new provision on measures to intercept ballistic missiles, if signs of an imminent missile attack are detected, the Defense Agency chief will seek permission from the prime minister to deploy the missile shield, including Aegis vessels, and the SDF will launch interceptors if the enemy fires a missile toward Japan.

However, if there are no clear signs of a launch but conditions call for high alert and there is no time to seek consent, the agency chief can mobilize the SDF to stand by for any sudden attack and order an intercept under emergency guidelines approved in advance by the prime minister.

The House of Councillors also approved a law on the day to reorganize the SDF under a unified command by setting up a Joint Staff for command of the air, ground and maritime forces. The Defense Agency plans to introduce the new structure by next March.

Japan is ratcheting up the drive to deploy ground- and sea- based missile defense systems in cooperation with the United States. The deployment is expected to start in 2007 at the earliest.

Despite its pacifist post-war constitution, Japan has ardently pushed forward with a shift in its defense policy over the past several years. The move intends to enable the self-defense-only troops have a more aggressive and far-flung maneuverability.

Source: Xinhua