As U.S. President Donald Trump has asked allies including Korea and Japan to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz, the Asahi Shimbun reported on the 17th that the Japanese government is reviewing the possibility of sending the Self-Defense Forces.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, a government official said the possibility of dispatching the Self-Defense Forces is under intensive review. Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the previous day that "Japan is continuing its review while issuing various instructions on what it can do independently within a legal framework," suggesting that sending the Self-Defense Forces appears to be among the options under consideration.
However, there are considerable hurdles to clear to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces. The Asahi Shimbun said, "There are many legal obstacles to sending the Self-Defense Forces to areas in combat," and reported that the Japanese government "is carefully reviewing whether to dispatch them, including after hostilities end, while working closely with relevant countries."
With Prime Minister Takaichi set to hold a summit with President Trump on the 19th, the decision on whether to send the Self-Defense Forces is likely to be made before then. Information obtained as Japanese cabinet members such as Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi speak in succession with U.S. ministers is expected to be used in the related discussions.
For now, the Japanese government is taking a cautious stance on sending the Self-Defense Forces. Defense Minister Koizumi said he has not yet received a dispatch request from the United States and noted that "nothing has been decided regarding the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces." Prime Minister Takaichi said, "There may be missions that require National Diet approval, and in such cases, we would like to courteously brief party leaders as broadly as possible."