Tokyo

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied Wednesday that Iranian special envoy Abbas Araghchi told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his country opposes Japan's plan to dispatch Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East.

“We refrain from clarifying details of diplomatic exchanges, but at least they were not as has been suggested,” Suga told a news conference.

He was referring to an interview on Tuesday by Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, in which Araghchi, an Iranian deputy foreign minister for political affairs, said he had conveyed such opposition to Abe in their meeting in Tokyo that day.

Asked whether Japan had obtained the consent of the Iranian government for the dispatch plan, Suga said only that the government “is responding (to related affairs) while coordinating with Iran closely and constantly.”

According to Suga, the Japanese government explained to Araghchi that it was considering using SDF as its own step to secure the safe navigation of vessels related to Japan in the Middle East.

“We asked (Iran) to fulfill its responsibility as a coastal nation to ensure the safe navigation of vessels,” Suga said.

Jiji Press