Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declined to endorse or condemn the U.S.-Israeli strikes and called for early de-escalation through diplomatic channels.
- Japan signaled readiness to deploy Self-Defense Forces for possible evacuations, though large-scale departures from Iran are constrained by closed airports and unsafe land routes.
- Major Japanese shippers halted transits through the Strait of Hormuz, with more than 40 Japan-related vessels reported holding in the Persian Gulf.
- Officials said Japan has oil reserves covering about 254 days of consumption and expects no immediate supply shortfall, while warning prolonged disruption would pressure the economy.
- Tokyo withheld a definitive legal assessment of the strikes and will raise the issue with President Donald Trump, as Japan also reiterated that Iran must never develop nuclear weapons.