Japan, Australia announce no plans for Hormuz escort mission

Japan and Australia have announced they have no plans to dispatch naval vessels to escort vessels in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday told parliament.

Trump's call in a social media post for US allies, including Japan, to help protect oil and gas shipments through the strategic waterway puts Tokyo in a difficult position because while it relies heavily on Middle East energy, its war-renouncing constitution limits the scope of overseas military operations it can conduct.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has conducted anti-piracy operations in waters near the Middle East, but those missions were policing operations rather than combat missions against state actors. 

Takaichi will travel to Washington this week for talks with Trump that she said will cover the conflict with Iran.

"I would like to engage in solid discussions based on Japan’s views and position regarding the need for early de-escalation," she told lawmakers.

Australia, another key Indo-Pacific ally to the US, said it had not been asked and will not send naval ships to assist in reopening the strait either.

"We know how incredibly important that is, but that's not something that we've been asked or that we're contributing to," Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's cabinet, said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC.