US urges Japan opposition to back mission -media

TOKYO, Aug 14 (Reuters) The US ambassador to Tokyo, Thomas Schieffer, urged Japan's main opposition party to change tack and support a Japanese refuelling mission backing US-led operations in Afghanistan, in a series of interviews published today.

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party, which crushed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in an upper house election last month, rebuffed a personal appeal for support from Schieffer when they met last week.

''This is extremely important, not only for America, but for the international community,'' the Mainichi Shimbun quoted Schieffer as saying.

He added that he wanted to meet Ozawa and other party officials again to try to persuade them to change their minds, and was willing to provide them with classified information, the paper said.

Japanese ships have been operating a refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of operations in Afghanistan under a law that expires on November 1.

Schieffer told the Mainichi that he understood US forces did not have the capacity to carry out the refuelling themselves, and would have to ask Britain to take over should Japan pull out.

''This would send the unpleasant message, not only to the United States, but to the international community, that Japan was withdrawing from the war on terror,'' the paper quoted Schieffer as saying.

The LDP, which maintains an overwhelming majority in the more powerful lower house, plans to present a bill extending the law, but Ozawa has repeatedly said his party will oppose the extension. Democrats and their allies could turn the bill back in the upper house, which would delay its passage.

Ozawa told Schieffer when they met that Japan could offer other forms of support in Afghanistan, perhaps as part of the UN-backed International Security Assistance Force.

Reuters KK SBA VP0700