Japan says will not join US anti-Iran 'coalition' in Mideast

Japan says it will not join any US coalition in the Middle East, but is considering sending its own forces in a bid to ensure oil shipments from the region.

According to Press TV, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has tasked his ministers to study the possibility of a deployment to the region aimed at "collecting information".

This would be totally separate from Washington’s plan to form a coalition that according to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “will patrol the Strait of Hormuz to keep those shipping lanes, those sea lanes open.” 

Back in August the US had requested its allies to help build a "coalition" against Iran in the Persian Gulf.

As its key Asian ally, and a major regional naval power, it was keen for Tokyo to join its maritime force.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, however, said on Friday that Tokyo “won't join the United States, but will cooperate closely with them.”

"Self-Defense Force assets will ensure the safety of vessels related to Japan," he added.

Suga further said that military assets that will be sent to the Middle East are likely to include warships and aircraft that will patrol the Gulf of Oman, the Northern Arabian Sea and other waters in the area.

SS