This archive report was first published on 27 December 2019.
On December 27, 2019, Japan announced its decision to deploy a military vessel and two patrol planes to the Middle East to protect its waterways and ensure the safety of its vessels.
The move comes in response to recent attacks on tankers in the Gulf, including a Japanese tanker, and on Saudi Arabian oil installations. Washington, other Western states, and Saudi Arabia have blamed the attacks on Tehran, which denies any involvement.
Japan's decision is seen as a measure to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East, as well as to ensure the safety of its vessels. The country imports 90 percent of its crude oil from the region.
Japan's patrol activities will not be deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US-led coalition operates, but will instead operate in the high seas in the Gulf of Oman, the northern Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
Japan's post-World War II pacifist constitution commits it to strictly defensive capabilities, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has campaigned for years to amend it. Japan, a close American ally, also has longstanding relations with Iran.
