Japan to Attend U.S. Briefing on Coalition in Strait of Hormuz

Tokyo, July 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan plans to send a staff member of its embassy in Washington to a U.S. briefing on Friday on a proposed coalition to safeguard waters near the Strait of Hormuz, government sources said Wednesday. The government will collect information about details of the initiative, such as what roles participating countries will be asked to play, at the briefing, to be hosted by the U.S. Department of State. "We want to continue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and stabilize the situation in the Middle East, cooperating with the United States and other countries concerned," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told a press conference on Wednesday, asked about Japan's response to the proposed maritime initiative. On Tuesday, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said, "At the moment, we are not thinking" of dispatching Self-Defense Forces troops to the area. END