Japan Considers Minesweeping in Strait of Hormuz After Ceasefire
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Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has suggested that the country could consider deploying its military for minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is reached in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Motegi made the comments during a Fuji TV programme, stating that minesweeping could be an option if a ceasefire were established and naval mines were creating an obstacle.
Japan's military actions are limited under its postwar pacifist constitution, but 2015 security legislation allows the country to use its Self-Defense Forces overseas if an attack threatens Japan's survival and no other means are available.
Tokyo has no immediate plans to seek arrangements to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz for stranded Japanese vessels, but the country is working to create conditions that allow all ships to navigate through the narrow waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for global oil supplies, and Japan gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the war.
