Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on March 22 that his nation could consider using its military to conduct a mine-sweeping operation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for oil, if the United States and Israel reached a cease-fire with Iran.
“If there were to be a complete ceasefire, hypothetically speaking, then things like mine-sweeping could come up,” Motegi said during a Fuji TV program.
“This is purely hypothetical, but if a ceasefire were established and naval mines were creating an obstacle, then I think that would be something to consider.”
After the United States and Israel struck Tehran earlier this month and ignited war in the Middle East, Iran retaliated by moving quickly to block the Strait of Hormuz. The vital shipping artery is responsible for transporting 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
While Japan’s post-World War II pacifist constitution limits its military actions, a 2015 security legislation allows it to use self-defense forces overseas if an attack threatens the nation’s survival and there are no other mechanisms to address it.
This includes attacks on a close security partner, such as the United States.
Motegi said Japan has no immediate plans to negotiate arrangements that would allow stranded Japanese vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. He said it’s “extremely important” to guarantee the ability for all ships to pass through the narrow waterway safely.
However, on Friday Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Japan’s Kyodo news agency that he had talked to Motegi about potentially allowing Japanese-related vessels safe passage through the strait.
Japan relies on the strait for roughly 90 percent of its oil shipments. Now that Tehran has effectively closed the waterway, rising global oil prices have forced Japan and other nations to release oil from their reserves.
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday and pressed her to “step up” in helping the United States reopen the strait by sending warships.
Japan has briefed Trump on what it can and cannot provide to reopen the strait under its laws, Takaichi told reporters following the Washington summit.
“If Iran doesn’t fully open, without threat, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various power plants, starting with the biggest one first!” he wrote on social media.
Trump has called on U.S. allies to help reopen the strait as the war continues into its fourth week.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” the UAE and more than 20 other nations wrote in a joint statement released on March 21.
“We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning. … We will also work to provide support for the most affected nations, including through the United Nations and the [International Financial Institutions].”