Tokyo  - A House of Councillors panel on Tuesday postponed deliberations on a bill to extend a counterterrorism refuelling mission that Japan is conducting in the Indian Ocean as the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) boycotted a vote.

Because deliberations on other bills were also postponed, the parliamentary session might be prolonged past November 30, when it was scheduled to adjourn.

The foreign and defence committee had been expected to take a vote Tuesday afternoon to extend Japan's naval assistance in US-led anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. past its January deadline.

But the DPJ, which holds a majority in Japan's upper house, decided to boycott the deliberations until the government submitted a supplementary budget concerning the nation's economic stimulus package.

The voting was cancelled, and it was not clear when a decision would be reached. (dpa)