Japan to send military vessel, planes to Mideast
TOKYO: Japan will send a military vessel and two patrol planes to help protect waterways in West Asia but will not join a Us-led coalition in the region, the government said on Friday.
The move comes after attacks this year on tankers in the Gulf including a Japanese tanker, as well as on Saudi Arabian oil installations.
Washington, other Western states and Saudi Arabia blame the attacks on Tehran, which denies any involvement.
Japan will send a destroyer to the region for intelligence activities along with two P3C patrol aircraft, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, told reporters.
The move is “Japan’s own measure aimed at peace and stability in the Middle East as well as ensuring safety of Japan-related vessels,” Suga said, noting that 90 percent of crude oil Tokyo imports were from the region.
West Asia tensions have soared since early this year, when Iran was accused of attaching mines to several tankers off Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and then attacking or seizing others near the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The US formed a coalition to protect vessels in the region, which is critical to oil supplies.
IRAN KICKS OFF DRILLS WITH RUSSIA, CHINA TEHRAN: Iran’s navy on Friday kicked off the first joint naval drill with Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman.
The f o ur- day e xerc i s e , launched from the southeastern port city of Chahbahar, is aimed at boosting security of the region’s waterways.