Reference News Network, March 19 report: The Japanese Economic News published an article titled "The US's 'Loyalty Test' Puts Japan in a Dilemma" on March 17. The authors are Ritsutaro Takeda and Natsuna Watanabe. The article excerpts as follows:
After President Trump clearly expressed his expectation for the deployment of warships to the Strait of Hormuz, the Japanese government was forced to face a difficult choice. On one hand, Japan highly values the Japan-US alliance in security matters; on the other hand, Japan heavily relies on energy imports from the Middle East. This puts Japan in a "difficult position."
The Japan-US summit is scheduled to be held in Washington on the 19th. At that time, Trump may personally request Japan to deploy warships. Given this, the Japanese government has already begun private consultations with the United States.
So far, Japan has avoided directly commenting on the US-Israel strike against Iran. This is not only because Japan finds it difficult to give a positive legal evaluation of the US military action, but also because Japan maintains long-term friendly relations with the oil-producing country Iran.
On the 14th, Trump stated on a social media platform that he expected relevant countries, including Japan, to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz. This has increased Japan's sense of urgency. If Trump directly requests the Prime Minister during the meeting on the 19th, it could become a "loyalty test" for the Japan-US alliance.
This happened before in 2019. At that time, the tensions between the US and Iran escalated, and an oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was attacked. The US intended to form a volunteer coalition to protect civilian ships passing through the strait and requested cooperation from Japan.
However, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ultimately did not join the volunteer coalition, but instead chose to independently protect Japanese merchant ships.
In the 2019 government discussions, the Japanese government provided four legal options for the Self-Defense Forces joining the volunteer coalition: invoking the Security Legislation, which regulates the exercise of collective self-defense rights and the provision of logistical support to foreign militaries; conducting maritime security operations under the Self-Defense Forces Act; invoking the Anti-Piracy Law; or enacting a corresponding "Special Measures Law." It is expected that the framework of this discussion will be similar to that of the previous year.
However, all four legal options face their own internal challenges. If the Security Legislation is invoked, the prerequisite is that the country being assisted is attempting to conduct a counteraction that complies with international law. However, the Japanese government has not given any legal assessment of the recent US strikes against Iran from the perspective of international law. According to the law, if the purpose of the action is to eliminate a common threat faced by the international community, the participation of the Self-Defense Forces would fall under "international peacekeeping situations." Although joining the volunteer coalition is close to this idea, the prerequisite is the existence of a UN resolution.
If the Self-Defense Forces carry out maritime security operations, they are only allowed to escort vessels registered in Japan.
What about invoking the Anti-Piracy Law? The Anti-Piracy Law targets "pirates," with clear definitions of the targets, and does not apply to Iran's attacks on passing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
To resolve all these legal disputes, a legal framework specifically tailored to the current situation must be established. However, legislative work requires time.
Compared to 2019, the current situation in Iran is more chaotic, and Japan has less space to exert its diplomatic capabilities. Trump is also pressuring allies through tariffs, forcing Japan to deal with an international situation far more complex than that of the past. (Translated by Liu Lin)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7618871013954093574/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.