G7 Eyes Escorting Ships In West Asia Amid Conflict: Chair France

TOKYO, March 12 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- The Group of Seven industrialised nations agreed Wednesday to explore the possibility of escorting vessels in West Asia once security conditions are met, this year's G7 chair France said amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Kyodo News Agency reported.

In its statement released after the group's online summit, the French government said the plan for ship escorts is aimed at restoring "freedom of navigation in the region."

Meanwhile, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday that the announcement was made by France's "own decision as the chair" and refrained from elaborating on the details.

Japan may face a difficult choice of whether to join the envisaged ship escort by G7 countries' forces, as the nation has long held an exclusively defence-oriented policy under its war-renouncing Constitution, which allows a limited use of collective self-defence.

"Maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East is extremely important for Japan and we will continue to work closely with relevant countries, including the G7 members, and make every necessary diplomatic effort toward an early de-escalation of the situation," Kihara, the top government spokesman, added.

Japan imports over 90 per cent of its oil from the Middle East, making it vulnerable to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has blocked oil and gas transportation from the region's suppliers after the United States and Israel attacked Iran late last month.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO