Majority of Japanese oppose sending warships to the Middle East: Polls

Follow our live coverage here.

A majority of Japanese people oppose sending warships to the Middle East in response to the war in Iran, according to two polls conducted over the weekend amid continued US pressure on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

In a Yomiuri newspaper survey, 67 per cent voiced opposition to sending the nation’s Self-Defense Forces to the region, while an ANN poll showed 52 per cent against their deployment.

The polls also showed that approval ratings for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet remain elevated, at 71 per cent and 65.2 per cent respectively, with a comfortable majority positively evaluating the outcome of Ms Takaichi’s March 19 talks with US President Donald Trump.

Ms Takaichi avoided a showdown with Mr Trump over Japan’s support for securing the strait, but the US President continued to pressure Japan to do its part. Most of Tokyo’s oil imports depend on the waterway, which has been effectively blocked.

The Prime Minister said she explained to Mr Trump that while Japan is willing to contribute to the efforts, there are limits to what it can do due to legal constraints. Still, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi indicated at the weekend that the sending of minesweepers after a ceasefire could be considered.

The polls suggest that a majority of the public is reluctant to support military involvement in the war.

Under Japan’s pacifist Constitution, the nation renounces war but retains the right to defend itself if its existence is threatened. So far, the Japanese government has said that the war in Iran does not constitute such a case.

“Japan’s minesweeping technology is the best in the world,” Mr Motegi said on March 22, when asked about sending minesweepers to the Middle East on Fuji Television. “We could consider that if there’s a ceasefire and mines are causing an obstruction.”

Asked about Mr Motegi’s remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on March 23 that Japan currently has no specific measures in mind. He also said Japan did not make any specific commitments at the leaders’ summit regarding efforts to help ensure the safety of maritime navigation in the region.

“Japan will maintain communication with the relevant countries, carefully assess the current situation and consider the necessary measures,” Mr Kihara said at a regular press briefing. 

Japan has sent minesweepers to the Middle East before.

Its first overseas military deployment since World War II was the dispatch of six minesweeper ships to the Persian Gulf in April 1991. That took place more than a month after the US wrapped up its Desert Storm operations that concluded the Gulf War.

Mr Motegi also said the nation is not considering unilateral negotiations with Iran to secure passage for its vessels through the strait, following a report that Tehran is prepared to grant the access.

He said about 45 Japan-linked vessels remain affected in the strait, a critical artery for global energy supplies. The government will take responsibility for their safety, he added.

The comments come after Kyodo News reported on March 21 that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated Tehran is ready to allow Japan-related ships to transit the waterway.

Mr Motegi said the issue of whether Japan would receive special treatment did not come up in a recent call. BLOOMBERG