Mission refuels its last warship

Japan refueled its last warship in support of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan before Tokyo’s naval mission in the Indian Ocean closes down Thursday, a defense official said.

The official refused to give details. Kyodo News agency said the last ship refueled was a Pakistani navy destroyer.

Japan, America’s top ally in Asia, has refueled coalition warships in support of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan since 2001, and U.S. officials have clamored for an extension of the mission. Tokyo also sent humanitarian troops to Iraq from 2004 to 2006.

But Japan’s pro-U.S. ruling coalition has struggled to renew the deployment in the face of a resurgent opposition, which demands that Japan withdraw and has slowed parliamentary debate.