Japan to Weigh Collective Self-Defense Use Case by Case

Tokyo, March 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan will determine case by case whether to exercise its right to collective self-defense in the event of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz with missiles from Iran or elsewhere, an official has said. “The government will make a decision based on individual circumstances and all available information,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Tuesday. He thus declined to clarify whether such a blockade of the key oil transport route would constitute a so-called survival-threatening situation that could allow Japan to exercise its collective self-defense right. Asked on Monday whether a strait blockade would be considered a survival-threatening situation or a situation having a significant impact on the country’s peace and security, Kihara said the government had not determined whether the current situation fell under either category. The government had mentioned minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz as a possible example of the country’s exercise of the right to collective self-defense. Although there have been no reports that mines were laid in the strait, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned of attacks on ships passing through the waterway, making navigation in the area difficult. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]