TOKYO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Cabinet endorsed a revision to a bill Friday to extend the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean by another half year to help U.S.-led antiterrorism operations near Afghanistan.

    The revision is aimed at extending the law beyond its expiration on July 15, 2009, for the mission by the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) to refuel foreign vessels taking part in anti-terrorism activities.

    "The Defense Ministry will continue to do its best to eradicate international terrorism now that the refueling assistance activities by the MSDF were extended," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a news conference after the extension was approved at a Cabinet meeting.

    The government kept other parts of the basic bill unchanged, including the size of the operations and dispatch of MSDF vessels to non-combat areas such as the Indian Ocean including the Persian Gulf.

    In January this year, MSDF returned to the Indian Ocean after the Diet passed a controversial law on special measures against terrorism.