Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda urged defence and military officials on Sunday to improve discipline even as a media survey showed scandals at the defence ministry denting public support for his month-old cabinet.
The scandals are not only eating into Fukuda's support but are complicating his battle with a resurgent opposition to enact a law to allow Japan's navy keep supporting US-led military operations in Afghanistan.
The current law enabling the mission expires on November 1. The scandals include news a top official broke ethics rules by being entertained by a defence contractor and persistent speculation that fuel was diverted to support US activities in Iraq.
The official, former vice defence minister Takemasa Moriya, is to testify under oath in parliament on Monday about his ties to a defence contractor as well as about the refuelling.
"It is truly regrettable that problems concerning the maintenance of discipline and management of information have emerged at the defence ministry and the Self-Defence Forces," Fukuda said at a review of Japanese troops.
"It is vital to maintain strict discipline," he added. A Kyodo news agency poll showed that backing for Fukuda's cabinet fell 7.6 points to 50.2 percent, hit by the defence scandals and a health ministry cover-up of data on patients who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood products years ago.
Kyodo said 42.4 percent of respondents wanted Japan's next government to be led by the main opposition Democratic Party, while 39.8 percent wanted Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party, now in a coalition with a smaller party, to stay at the helm.
Public support for extending the naval mission to provide fuel to US and other ships patrolling the Indian Ocean against drug runners, gun smugglers and terrorists edged down about three points to 46.4 percent, Kyodo said. Opposition among voters to continuing the naval activities-which close ally Washington says are vital-rose about the same amount to 42.9 percent. Opposition parties have vowed to vote against extending the mission in parliament's upper house, which they now control.
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