Any decision to dispatch Japanese military vessels to the Middle East to escort ships would face “high hurdles,” a senior official said, after President Donald Trump expressed hopes that Tokyo would join the US to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.”
“While it is not legally ruled out, given the ongoing conflict, it is something that should be judged carefully,” ruling Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi told public broadcaster NHK on Sunday.
Asked about the issue in parliament last week, Takaichi said Tokyo has no plans to deploy minesweepers to help clear mines from around the strait, at least not until after the conclusion of the war between the US, Israel and Iran.
Given Trump’s propensity to change his message, Takaichi should use her personal ties with him to find out his true intentions, Kobayashi said on Sunday.
“We need to figure out what he really wants. This is the most important thing.”
