TOKYO: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru on Monday refuted suggestions that Japan had agreed to deploy ships, Self-Defense Forces or minesweepers to ensure the safe passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz was reported as saying on a US TV broadcast that “the Japanese prime minister has promised support by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.”
On Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara said: “Japan has not made any specific promises.”
At the Japan-US summit meeting on March 19, US President Donald Trump requested that Japan and other countries contribute to ensuring safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae acknowledged that ensuring safe navigation is important from the perspective of a stable energy supply and said: “There are things that can and cannot be done within the scope of Japanese law.”
Kihara said it was “critically important” to secure safe passage for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but no concrete action has been taken so far.
