Japan's Takaichi Navigates Middle East Tensions

0:00This is Cory with the story, and here's what's making news across the globe right now. Japan's Prime Minister Senai Takachi faces tight legal limits on helping the United States amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Her country's post-World War II constitution bans using force to settle international disputes. Still, she could send maritime self-defense force ships for law enforcement tasks overseas, like the anti-piracy patrols of Somalia that started in. 2009. Defense Minister Shinjuro Koizumi told Parliament this week that similar policing moves might be considered if more action is needed, but those rules fit non-state threats like pirates, not clashes with nations such as Iran. Pushing them further could spark big legal issues. Japan has stuck to cautious steps in past Middle East conflicts. During the 1991 Gulf War, it sent cash but no troops earning criticism for checkbook diplomacy. Later, it cleared minds in the Persian Gulf. After the September 11 attacks, ships refueled allies in the Indian Ocean for 8 years without fighting.

1:05In 2015, new security laws led Japan use force abroad if an attack on itself, or a key partner threatened survival and no other options. Exist. Those rules have never been tapped, and Takachi stressed diplomacy to ease the current crisis over energy routes like the Strait of Hormuz. Experts note another hurdle, whether recent United States strikes a line with international law under the United Nations Charter. Japan, a big backer of global rules, has not weighed in yet, leaving its response limited for now. This episode is brought to you in partnership with our sponsor. Some people meditate. I just lay down and press play. S-O-L-L-I-SoliPillow.com.