The same official said Japan would need Tehran’s cooperation before making any judgment. “We need to ask the Iranian government to provide information,” the official said, referring to the location and number of mines, whether they have been abandoned and whether any mines have actually been laid.
Kihara, Japan’s top government spokesman, told Monday’s press conference that “nothing has been decided” on deploying Japanese minesweepers. A senior Foreign Ministry official also indicated that Tokyo would look at humanitarian and reconstruction assistance while considering the possible dispatch of minesweeping vessels.
On Tuesday, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan would continue to assess its options. “We will consider necessary measures within the bounds of international and domestic law, while maintaining communication with relevant countries, including the United States,” he told a press conference.
Koizumi also said Japan had decided to take part in the European leaders’ joint statement “from the perspective of supporting and reinforcing the international community’s determination to ensure free and safe navigation for vessels of all countries.”
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
