TOKYO: Japan could consider deploying its military for minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, if a ceasefire is reached in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Sunday (March 22). Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Japan's Kyodo news agency on Friday that he had spoken to Motegi about potentially letting Japanese-related vessels pass through the strait. Japan gets around 90 per cent of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the conflict, now in its fourth week. A spike in global oil prices has prompted Japan and other countries to release oil from their reserves. Takaichi told reporters after the Washington summit that she had briefed Trump on what support Japan could and could not provide in the strait under its laws.

Source: The Star March 22, 2026 09:54 UTC