Upper house panel passes SDF bill for U.S.-led operations

TOKYO, Japan - Lawmakers from the ruling coalition parties raise their hands at meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the House of Councillors at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 26 to approve a bill allowing Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to lend noncombat support to the U.S.-led antiterrorism campaign. The bill and two additional bills are expected to pass the upper house's plenary session on Oct. 29.