{"id":36969,"date":"2019-12-28T03:17:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T03:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/28\/japan-oks-controversial-plan-to-send-naval-forces-to-mideast\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:14:25","slug":"japan-oks-controversial-plan-to-send-naval-forces-to-mideast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/12\/28\/japan-oks-controversial-plan-to-send-naval-forces-to-mideast\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan OKs controversial plan to send naval forces to Mideast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TOKYO \u2014 Japan on Friday approved a contentious plan to send its naval personnel to the Middle East to ensure the safety of Japanese ships transporting oil to the energy-poor country that heavily depends on imports from the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Cabinet&#8217;s decision reflects tensions that have escalated between Iran and the U.S. since President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran&#8217;s 2015 nuclear deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTaking into consideration the escalating tension in the Middle East, it is necessary to strengthen our information gathering effort,\u201d Chief Cabinet Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/japan.kantei.go.jp\/97_abe\/meibo\/daijin\/suga_yoshihide.html\" target=_blank>Yoshihide Suga<\/a> told a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Citing Japan\u2019s heavy dependence on oil imports from the region, Suga added that \u201cit is extremely important to secure the safe navigation of Japan-affiliated ships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/10\/19\/japan-to-send-own-force-wont-join-us-coalition-for-mideast\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Shuga-MAIN.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Japan to send own force, won\u2019t join US coalition for Mideast<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Japan&#039;s energy needs rely heavily on oil imports. It has kept friendly ties with Iran and is reluctant to join such a force.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite being a U.S. ally, Japan\u2019s deployment is not part of a U.S.-led coalition protecting Middle East waterways, apparently an attempt to maintain neutrality in a show of consideration to Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the plan, Japan will send about 260 Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel with a destroyer and a pair of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&#038;tid=1400&#038;ct=1\" target=_blank>P-3C<\/a> reconnaissance aircraft, mainly for intelligence-gathering in the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/opinion\/2019\/10\/17\/commentary\/japan-commentary\/taro-kono-different-kind-defense-minister\/\" target=_blank>Defense Minister Taro Kono<\/a> issued an order for the troops to start preparing for the operation, which is planned for one year beginning early next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kono is to visit Djibouti on the eastern coast of Africa and Oman this weekend to discuss Japan&#8217;s mission. Japanese troops have been based in Djibouti as part of an international anti-piracy effort off the Somali coast, and a P-3C unit currently in that operation will be shifted to the new mission in January, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan will stay away from the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S.-led coalition is operating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explained the plan to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani when he visited Tokyo last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan, which has friendly ties with both Iran and the U.S., also seeks to serve as a mediator between the two and play a greater role in restoring stability in the region, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Middle East supplies more than 80 percent of Japan\u2019s oil needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4500\" height=\"2981\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg 4500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,509 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,678 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1018 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ja2.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1357 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4500px) 100vw, 4500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Oct. 18, 2015 photo, a P-3C patrol plane of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force practices anti-submarine warfare in the waters off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo.  (Shizuo Kambayashi\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sending warships to areas of military tension is a highly sensitive issue in Japan because its pacifist post-World War II constitution limits the use of force by the military strictly to self-defense. Abe, however, has gradually expanded Japan\u2019s military role in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June, a Japanese-operated tanker was attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Washington said Iran was responsible and urged Japan to join the U.S.-led military initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Petroleum Association of Japan Chairman Takashi Tsukioka welcomed a troop dispatch in a statement: \u201cThe Middle East situation continues to be uncertain and we believe it will contribute to the safety of ship navigation in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But they won&#8217;t be joining a US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":40771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1296],"class_list":["post-36969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2JAXEKQLFNAVNMMSGDQC3R4DRU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/12\/28\/japan-oks-controversial-plan-to-send-naval-forces-to-mideast\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Japan OKs controversial plan to send naval forces to Mideast - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"But they won&#039;t be joining a US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan OKs controversial plan to send naval forces to Mideast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"But they won&#039;t be joining a US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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