TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's opposition insisted Wednesday on elections to test new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's mandate, and demanded a halt to Tokyo's naval support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

But Fukuda told the Diet that Japan will keep supporting anti-terrorist activities in both Afghanistan and Iraq, that debate is not what the country needs, and that the global fight against terrorism is not yet over.

For the first time since he was sworn in on Sept. 26, Fukuda, 71, faced a grilling in the Diet's powerful House of Representatives by Yukio Hatoyama, a leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

Hatoyama said Fukuda does not have a mandate because the opposition bloc won the most seats in recent elections.

"Prime Minister Fukuda, your first job is to dissolve the lower house and determine the will of the people in a general election," Hatoyama said.

"What we are expected to do is to take seriously the people's distrust and to respond thoroughly to their concerns, not debate whether to dissolve the Diet," he said.

Fukuda replaced Shinzo Abe, who resigned last month after a series of scandals involving his Cabinet and a humiliating defeat in July's House of Councillors elections.

The opposition now dominates the upper house. But because the ruling party continues to control the lower house, elections appear unlikely. The prime minister can call them earlier, but a vote need not be held until 2009 and the ruling party was not expected to rush into one after its July upper house debacle.

In the meantime, Fukuda was expected to take a beating from the emboldened opposition.

In a policy speech Monday, Fukuda promised to focus on friendly ties with Asian neighbors while keeping the country active in international peacekeeping efforts -- a controversial issue.

He renewed his commitment to continue Japan's naval mission in support of U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan, despite strong resistance from the opposition bloc.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has been providing fuel for coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2001 under an anti-terrorism law, which expires on Nov. 1.

The government is considering fresh legislation that would limit the mission strictly to naval refueling and supplying water to its allies. The current law allows more leeway in what kind of support Japan's military can provide -- a sensitive issue due to the nation's pacifist Constitution.

"Whether it is an extension or a new law, we oppose continuing the current activities because of the lack of a U.N. resolution," Hatoyama said. "The government does not have any vision or an exit strategy."

Hatoyama also proposed halting Japan's mission to airlift U.N. and coalition personnel and supplies into Iraq from Kuwait, saying there are commercial flights operating in the country.

However, Fukuda said Japan has no immediate plans to halt the mission. "The stabilization and recovery of Iraq is only half done," he said.

Hatoyama also accused the government of not disclosing enough information about the activities of its missions to support Afghanistan and Iraq.

Concerns have been raised that fuel Japan provides in the Afghan mission may have been diverted to Iraq.

Fukuda acknowledged the need to disclose as much information as possible but also said the government has to take into account national security.

He also pledged measures to resolve the issue of missing pension records for 64 million claims, a major political issue here.

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