Japan could consider Hormuz minesweeping if ceasefire reached, says Foreign Minister Motegi

Japan may consider minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz post-ceasefire, says Foreign Minister Motegi, amid ongoing regional tensions.

Japan could consider deploying its military for minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz, a ​vital artery for global oil supplies, if a ceasefire ‌is reached in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, ​Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Sunday (March 22, 2026).

“If ⁠there were to be a complete ceasefire, hypothetically speaking, then things like minesweeping could come up,” Mr. Motegi said during a Fuji ‌TV programme. “This is purely hypothetical, but if a ceasefire were established and naval mines ‌were creating an obstacle, then I think that ‌would ⁠be something to consider.”

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Japan’s military actions are limited ⁠under its postwar pacifist constitution, but 2015 security legislation allows Japan to use its Self-Defense Forces overseas if an attack, including on a ​close security partner, ‌threatens Japan’s survival and no other means are available to address it.

Tokyo has no immediate plans to seek arrangements to allow passage through the Strait of ‌Hormuz for stranded Japanese vessels, Mr. Motegi said, adding ​it was “extremely important” to create conditions that allow all ships to navigate through the narrow ⁠waterway, the conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil shipments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Japan’s ‌Kyodo news agency on Friday (March 20) that he had spoken to Mr. Motegi about potentially letting Japanese-related vessels pass through the strait.