Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the press during her meeting with Italian Premier Meloni at Villa Pamphilij in Rome, Italy, 15 June 2026. Photo by Riccardo Antimiani / EPA
June 18 (Asia Today) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has left open the possibility of deploying the Self-Defense Forces to the Strait of Hormuz following an agreement between the United States and Iran to end hostilities.
"Nothing has been decided at this point," Takaichi said Wednesday when asked about a possible deployment during a news conference marking the end of the Group of Seven summit near Évian-les-Bains, France, Japanese media reported Thursday.
Takaichi said Japan must closely examine the U.S.-Iran agreement and conditions in the region before making a decision.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping route for crude oil from the Middle East. Instability in the waterway could directly affect shipping, energy prices and Japanese industry because the country relies heavily on imported energy.
