TOKYO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday said he has no plans to deploy members of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to the Middle East to protect commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid a possible plan by the United States to form a military coalition to be present in some key Middle Eastern shipping lanes, Iwaya said that diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Washington and Teheran remained important.
Last month, two oil tankers, one operated by a Japanese firm, were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, with tensions rising further after a U.S. military drone was downed.
But, Iwaya pointed out that there have been no more similar attacks in the area and that those against Japan specifically are thought to be "in a temporary lull at present."
Despite the Strait of Hormuz being a key gateway for oil from the Middle East to reach resource-poor Japan, its pacifist Constitution currently prevents Japan from sending troops to a potentially active theaters.
Article 9 of the Constitution states that Japan forever renounces war as a means to settle international disputes and also prohibits Japan from maintaining war potential.
Japan has been urging Iran to abide by commitments it made under a 2015 nuclear agreement with several world powers and not take further steps that could potentially damage the accord.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear accord inked in 2015 between Iran and six major powers and restoring sanctions on Iran, Tehran said it planned to keep more enriched uranium than is permitted under the pact.
Tensions, thereafter, have risen in the Middle East, with the U.S. sending a carrier strike force, B-52 bombers, as well as armed troops to the Gulf.
Tensions further spiked after a U.S. drone was downed in June, with the U.S. warning of, but later cancelling, a planned, limited military strike.
Japan is the world's fourth-largest oil importer and relies heavily on the Middle East for the majority of its crude oil.
The international nuclear accord inked in 2015 was between Iran and six major powers, including the United States, at the time, China, Britain, France, Germany and Russia.
