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Japan requests Iran to secure safe ship passage through Hormuz

By The South Asia Times

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday requested Iran to secure safe passage of ships from all countries through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, during telephone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kyodo News reported.

Speaking to reporters after the phone call, Takaichi said she conveyed to Pezeshkian Tokyo's strong hope for a swift resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran to bring an end to their war and reach a "final agreement," according to Kyodo.

Takaichi also told Pezeshkian that she welcomes the transit earlier this week of a Japanese-owned oil tanker through the strait -- a key waterway for global crude transportation -- as a "positive move," Kyodo reported.

"We will proactively continue every diplomatic effort and arrangement," Takaichi said, adding that Japan and Iran will keep in close communication.

Japan has heavily relied on the Middle East for its crude oil imports, most of which transit the Strait. The effective closure of the strait following the outbreak of war since late February is forcing the Asian nation to diversify its energy sources, Kyodo noted.

Takaichi and Pezeshkian previously held phone talks on April 8, following the announcement of a conditional two-week cease-fire deal between Washington and Tehran that remains in place. Since then, U.S.-Iran talks have stalled, Kyodo reported.