NATO chief asks Japan to mull civilian participation in Afghan aid

I made a plea and asked them if it were at all possible that on the civilian side, not from the military side...that there would perhaps at a certain stage be support from Japan by sending civilian helicopters to Afghanistan,`` Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Tokyo.
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I underlined the word `civilian` because the constraints, of course, are there,`` he said, referring to the limitations on Japan`s participation in military-related operations abroad due to its pacifist Constitution.
The NATO secretary general said he suggested to Japanese leaders the possibility of civilian helicopters engaging in activities such as medical evacuation.
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It`s simply a question, if there might come a moment that Japan could increase its participation in Afghanistan,`` de Hoop Scheffer told the Foreign Correspondents` Club of Japan.