Japan to dispatch its own self-defense troops to Strait of Hormuz: report

Japan to dispatch its own self-defense troops to Strait of Hormuz: report
Sailors walk on the deck Japan’s missile destroyer JS Sazanami in this July 10, 2017 file photo. (AFP)
Updated 18 October 2019
Follow

Japan to dispatch its own self-defense troops to Strait of Hormuz: report

Japan to dispatch its own self-defense troops to Strait of Hormuz: report
  • Japan would not join its most important ally in the security mission due to its close economic ties with Iran

TOKYO: Japan has decided to dispatch its own self-defense troops to the Strait of Hormuz area instead of joining the US-coalition to protect merchant vessels passing through key Middle Eastern waterways, the Asahi newspaper reported.
The decision is in line with a previous Japanese media report that Japan would not join its most important ally in the security mission due to its close economic ties with Iran, a major oil producer.
Global commodity trading has been rocked in recent months by the seizure of a British tanker and a series of attacks on international merchant vessels that the US and Britain have blamed on Iran. Tehran denies involvement.