Japan may provide minesweeping assistance in Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire

TOKYO – Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on March 22 hinted at a possibility of dispatching the country’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF) for minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz, provided that a ceasefire is realised in the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel.

“Japan’s minesweeping technology is at the top level in the world,” he said during a TV programme. “Let’s say (the parties have entered into a) ceasefire, and in the event that mines pose an obstacle, we may have to think about it,” he added, referring to a potential SDF dispatch.

Mr Motegi, who was present during the Japan-US summit talks in Washington on March 12, recalled how President Donald Trump was nodding when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi explained Japan’s legal limits on sending ships from its defence forces.

The country’s top diplomat said there was “no specific promise” made nor any issue that Japan had to bring back home to consider.

The conflict has escalated into one with broader implications for stability in the Middle East and global energy supplies since US and Israeli forces launched air strikes on Iran on Feb 28.

Japan relies on the region for over 90 per cent of its crude oil imports, most of which normally pass through the strait.

Mr Motegi separately said that one of two Japanese nationals who were detained in Iran was released. The person was released on March 11 and got on a plane from Azerbaijan, bound for Japan.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the individual, who had been detained since June, arrived in Japan on March 22 and had no health issues.

“We are working towards the early release of the other individual,” Mr Motegi said.

A non-profit organisation has said the other Japanese national is the Tehran bureau chief of public broadcaster NHK, who was detained on Jan 20 by local authorities. KYODO NEWS