LDP official cautious on Trump call for warship dispatch

"We need to carefully consider the matter as the conflict is ongoing (in the Middle East)", following the attacks on Iran by US and Israeli forces, Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in a debate program of Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK.

"Hurdles are very high" for possible operations to safeguard ships by Japan's Self-Defence Forces, he also said.

In a social media post Saturday, Trump called on Japan, Britain, China, France, South Korea and other nations that are affected by the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to send warships to keep the key oil transport waterway "open and safe."

Kobayashi said that Trump's remarks "change from time to time," adding that Japan needs to confirm his true intention at an upcoming bilateral summit. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday.

Mitsunari Okamoto, policy chief of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, sounded cautious, saying that Trump is highly likely to make requests that Japan cannot accept.

Takaichi should never accept unreasonable demands from the US leader at their summit, Okamoto added.

Makoto Hamaguchi, policy head of the Democratic Party for the People, stressed the need to decide parliamentary deliberations by confirming public opinion.

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan policy leader Eri Tokunaga warned that the US side may urge Japan to express support for the US-Israeli military operations against Iran and provide logistical support for the operations.

"Japan should clearly say what it cannot do, and negotiate (with the United States) by giving top priority to its national interest," she added.

Sanseito policy head Mayuko Toyota called on Takaichi to discuss with Trump Japan's crude oil imports from the United States as part of the Asian nation's efforts to diversify its sources of procurement.

Alex Saito, policy leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of the LDP, called for discussions on measures to address surging crude oil prices, such as the compilation of a supplementary budget.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]