INTERVIEW: Japan Shipping Industry Sees Safety as Key to Hormuz Navigation

Tokyo, June 23 (Jiji Press)--Ensuring the safe passage of vessels is essential for the resumption of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Hitoshi Nagasawa, president of the Japanese Shipowners' Association, said in an interview with Jiji Press on Monday.

The resumption of vessel traffic in the strait is "conditional on a complete end to the war and assurances on the safety of ship routes," said Nagasawa, chairman of Nippon Yusen K.K., a major Japanese shipping company.

While welcoming the recent U.S.-Iran agreement to end fighting, he expressed caution, saying, "It's premature to feel relieved."

Several vessels, including one Japan-linked ship, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the key global trade waterway was reopened following the U.S.-Iran deal. However, many vessels still remain in the Persian Gulf.

"We can't be absolutely certain about the safety" of ships, Nagasawa said, as naval mines are believed to be laid along conventional shipping routes in the strait. All ships will likely resume navigation once hostilities have fully ended and details of mine removal operations are confirmed, he added.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]