Japan is resisting Donald Trump’s pressure to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, opting instead for direct diplomatic engagement with Iran. The country’s pacifist constitution, imposed by the US after World War II, limits the deployment of military forces abroad.
Trump explicitly asked Tokyo to send vessels to protect the strait, arguing Japan depends heavily on Gulf oil. Japan’s prime minister, however, chose to open a negotiation channel with Tehran to secure safe passage for Japanese ships.
The position reflects a dilemma shared by many American allies: energy dependence on the Gulf combined with rejection of the war that caused the crisis. The irony is not lost on analysts: the US pressures allies to clean up a crisis that the US itself created.
