Japan weighs minesweeper deployment after US-Iran peace deal

Japan has opened serious deliberations over whether Maritime Self-Defence Force minesweeping units could be sent to the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran agreed to end their armed conflict, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi treating any move as dependent on security, legal and diplomatic conditions.

A ceasefire remains the basic prerequisite for sending minesweeping vessels. Japanese officials are also working with several unknowns, including whether naval mines have actually been laid in the strait, how many there may be and whether they have been abandoned. Tokyo plans to stay in contact with Iran and other concerned countries while closely monitoring whether the agreement is carried out.

Speaking to reporters in Rome on Monday (June 15), before travelling to France for a Group of Seven summit, Takaichi welcomed the US-Iran peace deal as "a major step toward bringing the situation to a close." In Tokyo, the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the agreement "is expected to reduce downside risks for the Japanese and global economies."

The deal has brought a measure of relief inside the Japanese government, particularly over energy security. "We're likely to get smooth crude oil supplies," a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

Takaichi nevertheless stressed that the next stage would be crucial. She said it was "important that the memorandum (of understanding between Washington and Tehran to end their fighting) is implemented steadily and that free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is actually secured."

Japan also plans to join a joint statement by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, in which the four European countries pledged to contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the strait. A senior Japanese government official said Tokyo now had to examine practical options, adding: "We need to consider which minesweeper to dispatch."

The issue had already been raised in March, when US President Donald Trump asked Takaichi to contribute to efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Takaichi replied: "There are things we can and cannot do within the bounds of the law." Under the Self-Defence Forces law, Japan can remove abandoned mines after a conflict has ended.

Officials remain cautious because the full picture of the US-Iran memorandum is still unclear. Israel’s moves are also seen as unpredictable after it launched fresh air strikes against Lebanon shortly before Washington and Tehran reached their deal. "We hope the situation won't keep changing," a Japanese government official said.

The same official said Japan would need Tehran’s cooperation before making any judgment. "We need to ask the Iranian government to provide information," the official said, referring to the location and number of mines, whether they have been abandoned and whether any mines have actually been laid.

Kihara, Japan’s top government spokesman, told Monday’s press conference that "nothing has been decided" on deploying Japanese minesweepers. A senior Foreign Ministry official also indicated that Tokyo would look at humanitarian and reconstruction assistance while considering the possible dispatch of minesweeping vessels.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan would continue to assess its options. "We will consider necessary measures within the bounds of international and domestic law, while maintaining communication with relevant countries, including the United States," he told a press conference.

Koizumi also said Japan had decided to take part in the European leaders’ joint statement "from the perspective of supporting and reinforcing the international community's determination to ensure free and safe navigation for vessels of all countries."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]