Japanese Prime Minister Looks To Balance Regional Issues With Iran War During Meeting With Trump

Tokyo is looking to support the United States during its ongoing war with Iran.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with President Donald Trump on March 19 to discuss the possibility of Japan sending military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, along with a range of trade and defense issues ahead of Trump’s now postponed trip to China.

The visit highlights Japan’s interest in stabilizing regional ties amid both global energy market turbulence and initial pre-summit negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

Tokyo Weighs Commitment to Escort Operations

President Trump had previously requested that Japan, along with NATO allies and China, deploy ships to the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor for Japanese energy imports, to assist in possible escort and convoy operations for commercial shipping. While Takaichi initially ruled out the possibility of deploying Japanese minesweepers to the region during a parliamentary session on March 12, Tokyo’s position may have shifted slightly, with Takaichi telling lawmakers on March 18 that she would indicate “what we can do and cannot do based on the Japanese law” during her meeting with Trump. Japan has previously deployed military assets to the Gulf during past U.S. operations, including after Operation Desert Storm in 1991, though its forces were legally forbidden from entering active combat zones.

During the meeting, Takaichi promised to coordinate with the United States to stabilize global energy markets, building on the International Energy Agency’s pledge to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves. Takaichi also reiterated Trump’s position that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, though she noted that Tokyo had reached out to Tehran over the past week in a bid to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Japan Seeks To Maintain Momentum on Bilateral Trade Ties and Taiwan

While weighing its response to the war, Tokyo remains committed to strengthening trade ties with the United States. The Commerce Department announced in February that Japanese firms had outlined plans for $36 billion in investments across a range of natural gas plants, critical mineral firms, and a deep-water crude export facility, marking the first tranche of an anticipated $550 billion in Japanese investment over the coming years. The planned investments may also limit the impact of a newly announced Section 301 trade investigation targeting 67 countries, including Japan, for alleged “excess industrial capacity” within their manufacturing sectors.

Japan also remains focused on countering China’s continued bullying over its approach to Taiwan while seeking to tamp down possible divergences with Washington. While the United States delayed announcing its latest package of arms sales to Taipei ahead of Trump’s expected trip to Beijing, Tokyo has stood by its comments that a Chinese attempt to seize the island may prompt the deployment of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. This issue reverberated ahead of Takaichi’s visit to the United States, with Tokyo publicly disputing a March 14 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that claimed her remarks represented a “significant shift” in Tokyo’s policy toward Taipei.

Washington Should Reassert Importance of Regional Defense Ties

As Washington prepares options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the United States should work with Japan to become an energy security anchor in East Asia, relying on its large stockpiles to supplement expanded U.S. exports to key regional allies and partners. This effort will both calm energy markets and prevent a growing supply shock from rippling out into the broader global economy.

Both Washington and Tokyo should also accelerate their efforts to bolster their growing defense ties, particularly as the conflict has pulled some U.S. forces away from the region. This effort should include accelerating joint investments in the Golden Dome missile defense project, an initiative that Takaichi has promised to join, and bolstering the coproduction of advanced missiles, ships, and other platforms.

Jack Burnham is a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.