It is assuring to learn that Japan is now ready to ‌ensure a safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. It is believed that in her first visit as Japan’s prime minister to Oval House the other day, Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald J Trump, came to concur to maintain close communication between Japan and the USA for preserving peace and stability in the Middle East. Premier Takaichi stated that “Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.” Japan also   condemned Iran’s recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

It is well known that the contemporary world is crucially dependent on oil and liquid natural gas supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Japan itself imports almost all its energy and about 95 per cent of its oil through this route in the Middle East. Given this background, it would indeed be a matter of great relief that the route is secure from its present arbitrary control by radical Iran .

This development sets at rest the recent speculation in a section of the media that Premier Takaichi might not be inclined to heed President Trump’s call in this regard. The speculators harped on quoting  Premier  Takaichi as having recently said that Tokyo was “carefully examining what can be done within the scope of current laws.” They suggested Tokyo was vague and thus negative on the issue.

It seems Premier Takaichi knows well that there is no point backing radical Iran in any way today. The ongoing US-Israel offensives against the Iranian regime have almost destroyed its total infrastructural base.  Even if the regime survives these offensives, it could never be a reliable partner to Tokyo. The nature of the post -1979 Iranian state has been absolutely hostile to the cherished values of Japan. History bears us since the fall of its relatively modern Shah regime in 1979, the successive dispensations in Iran have dogmatically advanced the legacy their founding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini commanded—to export his version of Islamic revolution to the whole world in due course of time.

One finds Premier Takaichi today is well focused on boosting Japan’s security and development. It is believed she used her recent summit with President Trump to convey to him Japan’s position on its dispute with China. She was able to extract a firm commitment from Washington on the importance of the US-Japan alliance to defend the shared values of the two nations and the modern world.

On his part, President Trump, too, seems to be well aware of the importance of Japan for the peace and prosperity of the United States. According to an estimate, Japanese investments in the USA are huge today. Last year, Japan committed to invest over $550 billion in the United States in exchange for the relief from the tariffs President Trump had slapped on it.  During her Washington summit, Premier Takaichi unveiled a second round of investments, including the construction of nuclear reactors in Alabama and Tennessee, as well as natural gas facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania.

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