Takaichi Says Govt Mulling What to Do for Safety of Japan-Related Ships

Tokyo, March 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that her government is considering what to do to ensure the safety of Japan-related ships amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. “The Japanese government is currently considering how to take necessary measures,” she told the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for ship escorts in the Strait of Hormuz, Takaichi said, “It’s difficult to answer hypothetically because we have not been asked for that yet.” She said that issuing a maritime security order based on the Self-Defense Forces law to escort ships would be “legally difficult.” The prime minister declined to comment on the legal assessment of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, saying, “We are not in a position to know the detailed facts in full.” Takaichi said she does not plan to discuss the legal assessment of the attacks during her summit with Trump, scheduled for Thursday in Washington. She expressed her intention instead to engage in talks “based on Japan’s views and position to help calm things down as soon as possible.” She said that the Japanese government will provide crew members of Japan-related vessels in the Persian Gulf with the information they need. Transport minister Yasushi Kaneko said that the Japanese government “has not received reports of any problems with water, food, fuel supplies, or crew health.” He added, “We have not received any evacuation requests. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]