By Yoko Kubota
Ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Washington on Thursday, a key question is whether Tokyo would agree to support the U.S. in its efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz--and if so, how.
One area experts have raised is Japan's minesweepers, given the U.S. Navy hasn't had a significant mine clearing capability in decades. An island country surrounded by the sea and neighbored by China, which has a rich inventory of sea mines, Japan is widely considered to have strong minesweeping capabilities. While Japan has a pacifist constitution, minesweeping operations "fit with Japan's post-war identity," because they are largely defensive, said Scott Harold, a senior political scientist at RAND who focuses on defense policies of Japan and China.
The minesweeper ships of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force include several Awaji-class vessels that can handle mines in deep waters; some smaller minesweepers and minesweeper tenders, as well as the Mogami-class frigates that carry unmanned systems that can detect and dispose of mines.
In recent years, Japanese minesweepers have included hulls of fiber-reinforced plastic, a non-magnetic material, since some mines detonate in response to a ship's magnetic field. Earlier this week, Takaichi didn't rule out dispatching its military once a cease-fire is reached, though said Japan wasn't currently planning a deployment.
This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2026 10:56 ET (14:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
