Japan denies US claim it will deploy naval forces to Strait of Hormuz

Japan has denied a US claim that it plans to deploy naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, distancing itself from suggestions of a military role in securing the vital shipping route. According to the Japanese news agency Jiji Press, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had made no explicit commitment to send vessels from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force to the region. The denial follows remarks by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who told CBS that Japan had pledged to allocate part of its naval fleet to help secure maritime traffic in the strait. “We see that our allies are beginning to adopt what we have been saying, as they should,” Waltz […]