In a message posted on social networks last weekend, US President Donald Trump said that countries such as China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK - countries directly affected by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz - should deploy warships to the area.
Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other countries affected by this artificial restriction will send ships to the area so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a threat" - Mr. Trump wrote. The US President also declared that US forces will continue to airstrike Iranian coastal targets and attack ships of this country.
Mr. Trump's call immediately put Tokyo in a sensitive position. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to be the first leader among the countries called upon by the US to send warships to meet Mr. Trump in Washington during the talks on March 19.
Japanese officials admit that deploying warships to the Middle East is an extremely sensitive issue.
Mr. Takayuki Kobayashi, head of the policy department of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said that any decision related to the deployment of military ships to the conflict zone must overcome "very large barriers".
“That is not legally prohibited, but in the context of ongoing war, this is an issue that needs to be assessed very carefully,” Mr. Kobayashi told NHK.
Japan has maintained a pacifist constitution for decades after World War II, which strongly restricts the use of military force abroad. Therefore, any decision related to deploying forces to war zones could cause domestic controversy.
Tokyo's difficulty becomes even clearer as the Japanese economy heavily relies on oil from the Middle East. About 70% of Japan's oil imports pass through the Hormuz Strait, one of the world's most important energy transportation routes.
When this route is disrupted, the world's fourth largest economy may face a serious energy shock.
Instead of deploying military forces, the Japanese government is prioritizing economic measures to reduce energy pressure.
Last week, Prime Minister Takaichi announced that Tokyo would release 80 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, before the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced a plan to release a total of 400 million barrels of emergency oil reserves globally.
Ms. Takaichi also affirmed that Japan currently has no plans to deploy minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz, at least until the war ends.
According to observers, the meeting between Ms. Takaichi and Mr. Trump in Washington this week may become a major test for US-Japan alliance relations, as Tokyo must balance its security obligations with Washington and domestic political pressure.
We need to understand clearly what Mr. Trump really wants" - Mr. Kobayashi said. "That is the most important thing.
