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Japanese warship departs for Gulf to patrol oil lifeline

February 2, 2020 at 2:35 pm

US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships [US Navy photo/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob D. Moore/Released]

A Japanese destroyer left for the Gulf of Oman on Sunday amid simmering Middle East tension to guard sea lanes that supply nearly all the oil that powers the world’s third-biggest economy, reported Reuters.

“Thousands of Japanese ships ply those waters every year including vessels carrying nine tenths of our oil. It is Japan’s lifeline,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the crew at Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo, before they cast off in a ceremony attended by 500 family members and representatives from the United States, European nations and Middle East.

Abe’s government has said it is prepared to authorise force to protect ships in danger, a controversial decision because Japan’s war-renouncing constitution forbids the use of military force in international disputes.

The Takanami, which will be joined by two maritime patrol planes, will not join a naval force led by Japan’s US ally or other naval coalitions in the region.

Tokyo has chosen to operate independently as it navigates disputes in the volatile region. Japan maintains cordial relations with Iran and other countries there and Abe travelled to the region in January to brief Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman on the mission after earlier speaking with Iranian leaders.

Iran: Rouhani welcomes Japan backing out of US-led naval mission in Gulf

Tension in the Middle East has heightened as friction between Iran and the United States escalated following US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and re-impose sanctions on it.

The United States has blamed Iran for several attacks on international merchant vessels, including a Japanese-owned tanker, the Kokuka Courageous. Tehran denies the accusation.

In addition to the Gulf of Oman, the Takanami, with 200 sailors and two helicopters, will patrol the northern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but will not enter the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important choke point between Iran and the Arabian peninsula.

The Japanese destroyer will share water in the region with a growing number of warships from other countries, including vessels from the United States, France and Britain.

Read: Is the Strait of Hormuz the key to Iran asserting its dominance?