Move FM Australian News

TOKYO, Japan – Japan is planning to join peacekeeping efforts in the Gulf to protect its ships transporting oil.

Japan, a major importer of oil takes in 90% of its needs from the Middle East.

The Cabinet is understood to have agreed to deploy navy assets to the region to join other nations in protecting vital sea lanes, including the United States, Britain, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Australia.

A helicopter-carrying vessel, P-3C patrol planes and and as many as 260 military personnel will be deployed to Gulf shipping areas as part of the mission, a report by Japan’s Kyodo news agency said, quoting government sources.

The assets will join U.S. and British military assets in the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Arabian Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Japanese government sources have described the measure as its contribution to peace in the Middle East.

Security in these areas has been bolstered in recent months following attacks on two oil tankers in June in the Strait of Hormuz, and a drone attack on Saudi Aramco facilities which disrupted oil from Saudi Arabia for several weeks.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have said Iran was behind the attacks, however the United Arab Emirates which owned one of the oil tankers attacked declined to blame Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in any of the attacks.

The United States called for a coalition of nations to protect the Mideast sea lanes. Britain was first to join, followed by Australia – the three nations that carried out the invasion of Iraq.

“The government has been concerned over incidents involving shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the past few months,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said when annlouncing Australia’s participation more than four months ago.

‘”This destabilising behaviour is a threat to our interests in the region, particularly our enduring interest in the security of global sea lanes,” Australian PM Scott Morrison.

“The government has decided it’s in Australia’s national interests to work with our international partners to contribute to an international maritime security mission in the Middle East,” he said.

“Freedom of navigation through international waters is a fundamental right of all states under international law.”

“All states have a right to expect safe passage of their maritime trade consistent with international law,” the Australian prime minister said.

(File photo – Japanese and U.S. naval ships in joint training drills).