▲ Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense (center)
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 17th that while U.S. President Donald Trump has requested Japan to send vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. has asked Japan to support a “Maritime Task Force (TF)” for safe navigation in the strait.
According to the report, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth mentioned in a call with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on the 15th that he would like Japan to agree to a separate Maritime TF coalition apart from operations conducted by the U.S. and Israel targeting Iran.
Secretary Hegseth explained that the specific activities of the coalition would be reviewed for a period ranging from a few days to a few weeks.
He clarified that he is not asking for a commitment to deploy equipment, and it is known that he did not specifically request the dispatch of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces or maritime vessels.
Secretary Hegseth emphasized that it is important for the countries dependent on the Strait of Hormuz for energy procurement to respond in solidarity.
Japan depends on the Middle East region for more than 90% of its crude oil.
Additionally, Hegseth explained that at the upcoming U.S.-Japan summit on the 19th (local time) in the U.S., President Trump is expected to ask Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for cooperation in the Maritime TF coalition.
Yomiuri reported that Koizumi, the Japanese Defense Minister, has temporarily withheld his response to the U.S. request for coalition support.
A Japanese government official indicated that they are considering collaboration with the U.S. as one option. However, the newspaper noted that some countries are cautious about participation.
During his first term in 2019, President Trump also asked countries to cooperate with the ‘Escort Coalition’ for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but Japan, considering its friendly relations with Iran, did not participate and instead dispatched its own escort vessels.
The U.S. is reportedly planning to soon issue a joint statement emphasizing the importance of “freedom of navigation” concerning the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and has asked Japan for support. Britain and other countries are also coordinating the joint statement, and the U.S. is said to have sounded out support from countries including Japan, South Korea, China, France, and India.
However, it is reported that the U.S. does not expect China to agree.
While President Trump has requested that South Korea and Japan dispatch vessels, most Japanese media have assessed that it would be difficult for Japan to accept this considering its pacifist constitution.
The legal basis for Japan to dispatch escort vessels includes security-related laws regulating collective self-defense rights and rear support for foreign forces, as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces Act, which allows the protection of Japanese-associated vessels.
However, it is evaluated that it is difficult for Japan to readily exercise collective self-defense rights, given that there are evaluations of the illegality of the U.S. attack on Iran and the lack of favorable public opinion in Japan.
Yomiuri explained that if escort vessels are dispatched and the Self-Defense Forces engage in combat with Iran, there could be assessments that this violates Article 9 of the constitution, which prohibits the exercise of military force.
Article 9 of the Japanese constitution states: “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.”
The Asahi Shimbun also reported that the Japanese government had been discussing the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces before President Trump’s request, but the prevailing view was that it would be difficult to deploy them if combat continues in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the Mainichi Shimbun reported that Japan is cautious about the agenda at the upcoming U.S.-Japan summit focusing solely on Middle Eastern issues.
A Japanese government official told the Mainichi that they have been preparing various issues for cooperation with the U.S., but fear the agenda might overly focus on Iran.
Japan, currently at odds with China, originally planned for Prime Minister Takaichi’s first visit to the U.S. to discuss major investment projects amounting to $550 billion (approximately 820 trillion won) and economic security cooperation, including rare earth elements, to demonstrate that the U.S.-Japan alliance remains robust.
Before the Middle Eastern situation deteriorated, there was optimism within the Japanese government that the summit would conclude successfully. However, the unforeseen variable of the Iranian war has complicated the situation.
The Mainichi explained that dispatching vessels to secure safety in the Strait of Hormuz presents significant challenges for Japan, and if President Trump strongly demands a response for dispatching vessels during the summit, it could create a rift in cooperation between the two countries.
The report also noted concerns within the Japanese government over the potential long-term effects on security, mentioning that equipment and troops stationed in Japan and South Korea are beginning to be redeployed to the Middle East, potentially weakening security in East Asia.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)