Majority of Japanese Oppose Sending Warships to Middle East

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(Bloomberg) — A majority of Japanese people oppose sending warships to the Middle East in response to the war in Iran, according to two polls conducted over the weekend amid continued US pressure on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

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In a Yomiuri newspaper survey, 67% voiced opposition to sending the nation’s Self-Defense Forces to the region, while an ANN poll showed 52% against their deployment. The polls also showed that approval ratings for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet remain elevated, at 71% and 65.2% respectively, with a comfortable majority positively evaluating the outcome of Takaichi’s talks with US President Donald Trump on March 19.

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Takaichi avoided a showdown with Trump over Japan’s support for securing the strait, but the president continued to pressure Japan to do its part. Most of Tokyo’s oil imports depend on the waterway, which has been effectively blocked. 

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The prime minister said she explained to Trump that while Japan is willing to contribute to the efforts, there are limits to what it can do due to legal constraints. Still, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi indicated at the weekend that the sending of minesweepers after a ceasefire could be considered.

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The polls suggest that a majority of the public is reluctant to support military involvement in the war. Under Japan’s pacifist constitution, the nation renounces war but retains the right to defend itself if its existence is threatened. So far, the Japanese government has said that the war in Iran does not constitute such a case.

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“Japan’s minesweeping technology is the best in the world,” Motegi said Sunday, when asked about sending minesweepers to the Middle East on Fuji Television. “We could consider that if there’s a ceasefire and mines are causing an obstruction.”

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Japan has sent minesweepers to the Middle East before. Its first overseas military deployment since World War II was the dispatch of six minesweeper ships to the Persian Gulf in April 1991. That took place more than a month after the US wrapped up its Desert Storm operations that concluded the Gulf War.

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Motegi also said the nation isn’t considering unilateral negotiations with Iran to secure passage for its vessels through the strait, following a report that Tehran is prepared to grant the access. He said about 45 Japan-linked vessels remain affected in the strait, a critical artery for global energy supplies. Tthe government will take responsibility for their safety, he added.

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The comments come after Kyodo News reported Saturday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated Tehran is ready to allow Japan-related ships to transit the waterway. Motegi said the issue of whether Japan would receive special treatment didn’t come up in a recent call. 

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