Japan has set three conditions to dispatch its Self-Defense Forces to the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday, amid ongoing uncertainty over an end to the Middle East crisis.
According to the source, Japan would require the United States and Iran to agree to a ceasefire, for communication with the Iranian side to be in place and that the threat in the strait be reduced. Specific operations if such conditions were met include disposal of abandoned mines and protecting commercial vessels, the source said.
The strait, a key artery for global trade, has been effectively closed following the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in late February, raising concerns among economies including resource-poor Japan.
The three conditions were mentioned by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at a virtual meeting of defense ministers co-chaired by Britain and France in mid-May to discuss a defensive multinational mission for ensuring freedom of navigation in the strait.
According to the source, Koizumi told the meeting the mission must fulfill the conditions to obtain wide support. He also stressed the importance of communication with the United States, which is not part of the mission, the source said.
Under its war-renouncing Constitution, Japan only permits the use of force for its own self-defense, putting restrictions on what it can do overseas. The SDF has engaged in peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions abroad.
In apparent consideration for Japan’s legal constraints, a joint statement released by the British government after the meeting said operations “will only commence in a permissive environment and in full accordance with international law and national constitutions.”
Preparations are underway within the Japanese government on how to deploy the SDF in the event of a ceasefire, with demining seen as the leading option. Such operations are legal under its Self-Defense Forces Act if conducted only after a ceasefire is in place.
Multiple sources also said the government could order SDF members to escort ships for protection as part of a maritime security operation under the same law. The joint defensive mission envisages splitting the strait into zones protected by different nations.
But as the operation only limits Japan-related ships as being subject to protection, some within the government say there would be difficulties in coordinating with vessels registered to other countries and operating under differing legal frameworks.
Keeping in mind Japan’s traditionally amicable ties with Iran, a source at the prime minister’s office said it is “essential” that Tehran “does not interpret an SDF dispatch as a hostile action.”
© KYODO
