Japan to Carefully Consider Minesweeping in Strait of Hormuz

Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Sending a Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeping unit to the Strait of Hormuz after a ceasefire is reached between the U.S.-Israeli side and Iran could be an option for Japan to take to help ensure the safety of the critical oil transport waterway.

The MSDF has a high ability to remove naval mines. An MSDF unit was dispatched to the Persian Gulf in 1991, after the end of the Gulf War, for a minesweeping mission.

Still, the government plans to carefully study whether to send an MSDF unit to the Strait of Hormuz while watching moves by other countries and taking into account domestic laws and impacts on Japan's domestic defense system.

It is considering how Japan can contribute to safe ship navigation in the strait, which has been effectively blocked by Iran amid its fighting with the United States and Israel.

At Wednesday's meeting of the House of Councillors Budget Committee, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that the government will make a decision on whether to send an MSDF minesweeping unit in the future "in accordance with the law while monitoring the situation."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]