Tokyo, March 22 — The Japanese government has confirmed that one of two nationals detained in Iran has been released, Kyodo News reported. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the individual, held since June, left Iran via Azerbaijan last Wednesday and has returned to Japan in good health. Motegi added that authorities are working toward the early release of the other detained citizen.
A non-profit group has identified the remaining detainee as the Tehran bureau chief for public broadcaster NHK, who was reportedly taken into custody on January 20. The government formally requested the release of its citizens earlier this month.
Motegi also said Japan could consider deploying its Self-Defense Forces to conduct minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz if the parties in the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel reach a ceasefire and mines present an obstacle. He stressed that Japan’s minesweeping technology is among the world’s best and that deployment would be considered only under appropriate conditions.
Those remarks followed Motegi’s attendance at the Japan-U.S. summit in Washington last Thursday. Motegi said President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Japan’s constitutional and legal constraints, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi clarified statutory limits on dispatching Japanese naval vessels. Motegi later said no specific promises were made in the talks and there were no unresolved issues requiring immediate domestic debate.
Kyodo News pointed out that the situation in the region remains critical after airstrikes on February 28 by U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran, with significant implications for global energy security and stability in the Middle East. Japan depends on the region for more than 90 percent of its crude oil imports.
