LDP Proposes Dispatch of Minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday that it will propose the country dispatch minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz once a formal ceasefire is reached in the war in Iran. If mines continue to block free navigation in the strait even after a formal ceasefire is reached, the Japanese government should consider sending Self-Defense Forces minesweepers, the LDP said. Under the SDF law, the SDF is allowed to dispatch minesweepers to clear mines left behind after fighting ends. The LDP’s proposal also calls for securing alternative supply sources of naphtha, a raw material for petrochemical products, and for releasing additional oil reserves as needed. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]