Tokyo, March 22 (ANI) — Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan could consider sending its Self-Defense Forces to carry out minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is achieved in the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, Kyodo News reported.
Motegi noted Japan’s strong maritime capabilities, saying, “Japan’s minesweeping technology is at the top level in the world.” He added that deployment would be discussed “let’s say (the parties have entered into a) cease-fire, and in the event that mines pose an obstacle, we may have to think about it.”
The comments came after high-level talks in Washington last Thursday. Motegi recalled U.S. President Donald Trump appearing to acknowledge Japan’s constitutional and legal limits, and said President Trump nodded as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi explained statutory restrictions on dispatching Japanese naval vessels. Motegi said there was “no specific promise” made at the summit and no outstanding issues requiring immediate domestic deliberation.
The situation in the region remains tense following the 28 February airstrikes by U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran. Kyodo News said the escalation has major implications for global energy security and Middle Eastern stability, particularly for Japan, which relies on the region for more than 90 percent of its crude oil imports.
Motegi also confirmed that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released. The person, held since June, left via Azerbaijan last Wednesday and arrived in Japan on Sunday in good health. The government is intensifying efforts to secure the release of the other detainee, who reports say is the Tehran bureau chief of public broadcaster NHK and was taken into custody on 20 January. (ANI)
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