Japan has reportedly decided to dispatch its self-defense forces to the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipments of oil passing through the area.<br />But it's sending its forces separately... and not as part of the U.S. coalition, which it had been asked to join.<br />Our Kim Mok-yeon has this report.<br />In a brief breaking report on Friday, Japan's Asahi Shimbun said Tokyo had decided to send its own troops to the Strait of Hormuz... instead of joining the U.S.-led coalition tasked with safeguarding commercial shipping in the Middle East.<br />It said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his ministers in a National Security Council meeting to review the mission specifics.<br />It also said that because Abe had visited Iran in June possibly to serve as mediator between Iran and the U.S., this could be a move to avoid clashing with Iran and at the same time stay on board with Washington's plan for the defense of shipping.<br />The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial area in terms of international trade because it's the route taken to transport 20 percent of the world's petroleum.<br />Washington has been pushing a plan to increase patrols in the area through a multinational coalition following a series of attacks on international oil tankers which it blames on Iran.<br />Those joining the coalition include Saudi Arabia, Britain, the UAE, Australia and Bahrain.<br />Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
