Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has hinted at the possibility of sending the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for a raid operation on the Strait of Hormuz, provided a ceasefire is reached in the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
"Japanese mine clearance technology is at the top level in the world," Motegi said in a television program reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Monday, March 23.
"Let's say (the parties have reached) a ceasefire, and if mines become an obstacle, we may need to consider it," he continued, referring to the potential deployment of the SDF.
Motegi, who was present during the Japan-US summit talks in Washington last Thursday, recalled how US President Donald Trump nodded when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi explained Japan's legal limits on sending ships from its defense forces.
The Japanese foreign minister said that "no special promises" were made or any issues that Japan had to bring back home to consider.
The conflict has escalated into a conflict with wider implications for stability in the Middle East and global energy supplies since US and Israeli forces launched air strikes on Iran on February 28.
Japan relies on the region for more than 90 percent of its crude oil imports, most of which normally pass through the strait.
Motegi separately said one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran had been released. The person was released last Wednesday and boarded a plane from Azerbaijan to Japan, according to the foreign minister.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the individual, who has been detained since June, arrived in Japan on Sunday and had no health problems.
"We are working to immediately release other individuals," Motegi said.
Meanwhile, the non-profit organization said another Japanese citizen was the head of Tehran's bureau of the public broadcaster NHK, who was detained on January 20 by local authorities.
The Japanese government announced earlier this month that two Japanese citizens were detained, and they have asked for their release early.
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