Japan's SDF deployment for mine sweeping in Mideast unlikely: PM Takaichi

TOKYO - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday it is unlikely that Japan will deploy its Self-Defense Forces for a possible mine-sweeping operation in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil and gas transportation has all but ground to a halt due to the conflict in the Middle East.

During a parliamentary session, Takaichi ruled out a deployment of the SDF to the region to prepare for demining operations amid reports that Iran has started to lay mines in the Strait, one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.