Japan says dispatching ships to Middle East faces high hurdles

Any decision to dispatch Japanese military vessels to the Middle East to escort ships would face “high hurdles,” a senior official said, after President Donald Trump expressed hopes that Tokyo would join the US to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.”

“While it is not legally ruled out, given the ongoing conflict, it is something that should be judged carefully,” ruling Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi told public broadcaster NHK on Sunday.

Kobayashi’s...