A Japanese government official has expressed confusion over U.S. intentions regarding the Strait of Hormuz, saying, “We don’t know what the United States wants.”
According to a March 19 report by The Asahi Shimbun, the United States asked Japan to join a joint statement calling for “freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the proposal is understood to have originally come from the United Kingdom, not the U.S.
During the consultation process, messages from U.S. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly shifted, leading to confusion within the Japanese government.
On March 15, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke by phone with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi and requested support for a planned “maritime task force (TF)” to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as for a joint statement expected to be announced soon.
According to multiple Japanese government officials, discussions on multilateral cooperation related to the Iran conflict—including the Hormuz joint statement—began with a proposal from the United Kingdom.
The UK had informally suggested issuing a joint statement emphasizing the importance of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, under the names of participating countries such as the European Union, Australia, and Japan.
Initially, the United States was not included among the countries expected to endorse the joint statement, according to Asahi.
In other words, while the United States was the first to ask Japan for support for the joint statement, the initiative itself originated from the UK.
A Japanese government official told Asahi that the plan appears to have been for the UK and other countries to first draft a proposal among themselves and then present it to the United States.
It is also reported that during the March 15 call, Secretary Hegseth did not request that Japan dispatch Self-Defense Forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
Similarly, during a March 16 phone call between Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, there was no substantial discussion regarding the joint statement.
Meanwhile, within the Japanese government, there is growing frustration that President Trump’s statements regarding the deployment of naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz have changed daily, making it difficult to understand U.S. intentions.
Previously, President Trump had strongly urged NATO, South Korea, Japan, and other allies to dispatch naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
However, on March 17 (local time), he stated that further support was no longer necessary and expressed disappointment and anger toward allies.
One Japanese government official reportedly said, “We don’t know what the United States wants.”
Posted by Freewhale98
3 Comments
1. Summary
A Japanese government official expressed confusion over U.S. policy on the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is unclear what Washington actually wants.
Although the U.S. asked Japan to support a joint statement and maritime security efforts, the initiative reportedly originated from the UK, and U.S. messaging has been inconsistent.
Japan was not formally asked to deploy forces, and shifting statements from the Trump administration have made it difficult for Tokyo to interpret U.S. intentions.
2. How is this related to the sub
(1) Iran War Escalation: Japanese officials have no idea on what is the demand of the US as statements from the US officials contradict each other.
3. My opinion
There is no coordinated leadership in US war efforts on Iran.
https://preview.redd.it/xcoi3xhiyypg1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8af12c703b054d9aaa75c79bf561cabcab34f4c9
Japan needs to finally embrace EVs. This won’t be the last oil war. Everyone knows that.
Once more the non-US users of this sub asks: what the unholy fuck is the US doing under Trump?