Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan would work with the US and other countries to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Motegi conveyed this in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, March 16, amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The talks came after US President Donald Trump urged countries via social media to send warships to safeguard the security of the Strait of Hormuz, but the request was not conveyed in the second ministerial talks, a ministry source said.
Reporting from Kyodo, Rubio explained to Motegi the US' stance and efforts regarding the conflict, and the two agreed to maintain close communication regarding the situation in the Middle East, according to the ministry.
The two also confirmed that they would work together ahead of Trump's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Washington, which is expected to take place on Thursday.
The war, which entered its third week, has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes, in response to US and Israeli attacks since late last month.
More than 90 percent of Japan's crude oil imports come from the Middle East, most of which pass through the strait.
For Japan, the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) assets and personnel to overseas territories that could potentially be involved in combat is a sensitive issue because its constitution prohibits war.
Tokyo could order SDF ships to escort Japanese-related vessels in maritime security operations that allow limited use of weapons.
Motegi also spoke by phone separately with his counterparts - Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates - and reaffirmed cooperation to defuse the situation.
They also discussed efforts to ensure a stable supply of crude oil and the safety of Japanese citizens in the region, according to the ministry.
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