Japanese PM shows support for Pakistani efforts to mediate US, Iran conflict

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on April 13 that she conveyed her support for Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran conflict during phone talks with the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after recent peace negotiations between the warring parties in Islamabad yielded no agreement.

Ms Takaichi and Mr Sharif also affirmed that Japan and Pakistan will work towards an early de-escalation of the Middle East situation and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy transportation, she told reporters in Tokyo.

Ms Takaichi said she explained to Mr Sharif about Japan’s view.

“What is the most important is that a final agreement will be concluded early through dialogue,” she said, adding that Tokyo will continue to collaborate with the international community.

The US and Iran agreed on a two-week ceasefire last week, but failed to reach a peace deal in two days of negotiations until April 12 in the Pakistani capital.

Following the development, the US military said it will begin blocking all ships entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas from April 13 at 10am in Washington.

Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90 per cent of its crude oil imports.

Most transit the strait, which Iran has effectively closed since the US and Israel began attacking the country in late February.

Japan, a close US security ally, has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Iran.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference that Japan has made no decision on whether to send its Self-Defence Forces for minesweeping operations in the strait, where Iran may have laid mines to support its de facto blockade.

On April 13, Ms Takaichi also held phone talks with Mr To Lam, leader of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, who has doubled as the country’s president since April 7.