(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-13 11:29

Washington - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's resignation could cause problems for the United States, and the Bush administration is closely watching to see if political turmoil will hurt Japanese cooperation in US-led military operations in Afghanistan.

The United States does not want to be seen as interfering; State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, questioned about what the Bush administration is looking for in Japan's next leader, would say only that the United States hopes the next premier is "a good partner. And I suspect that that will be the case."

But privately, analysts say, Washington fears the pro-US policy of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party could unravel. The US administration is especially worried about the fate of a law that would extend Japanese refueling of coalition warships in the Indian Ocean. That legislation, which expires in November, is criticized by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

Michael Auslin, with the American Enterprise Institute think tank, said, "The whole political situation is explosive in Japan, and any hint of US meddling would send things spiraling downward."

Still, many in the US government are furious with opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa for "playing politics" with the refueling law and are angry at Abe for being "incapable of overcoming Ozawa's obstruction," Auslin said.

A big question is whether the opposition party's objections to closer cooperation with the United States will influence whoever takes over for Abe.

Abe resigned just as the government faced a battle in Japan's parliament over whether to extend the country's refueling mission.

US officials from President George W. Bush down have expressed hope that Tokyo would renew the law. Critics in Japan say such pro-US operations violate Japan's pacifist constitution, which strictly limits the country's military activities. Ozawa says Japan should only participate in UN-led peacekeeping missions.

Nick Szechenyi, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a failure to extend the refueling law would be a "bad signal for Japan. It would not just be a withdrawal from a multilateral mission but a signal that Japan is retreating from international leadership."

Abe said he was quitting to clear the way for ruling and opposition parties to work together to approve the extension of Tokyo's naval mission.

Washington, Auslin said, will be watching to see if Abe's party can come up with a platform that will address the opposition's worries and still maintain Japan's role as a crucial supporter of US efforts around the world.