U.S. defense chief: "No change in posture of U.S. forces in Japan"

Financial News, Tokyo — With the United States shifting some U.S. forces in Japan to the Middle East and asking Japan to dispatch naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on the 15th that "this situation does not change the posture of U.S. forces in Japan," the Ministry of Defense of Japan announced on the 16th.
According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun (The Nikkei), the Ministry of Defense of Japan said that Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi and Hegseth held a roughly 30‐minute phone call on the night of the 15th to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
The ministry said Hegseth also conveyed that the United States intends to remain engaged in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
He briefed Koizumi on the latest developments and outlook for the situation on the ground, including in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Koizumi stressed that maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East is vital for the international community and said, "We will continue close communication with the countries concerned, including the United States."
The U.S. side has effectively issued a public request for Japan and other countries to send warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and is moving U.S. forces stationed in Japan to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On the 14th local time, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that "many countries, especially those affected by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships to keep the strait open and safe," explicitly mentioning five countries: South Korea, China, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), and France.
Regarding U.S. forces in Japan, The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th that three warships carrying about 2,500 personnel will move from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East to join U.S. forces there. USNI News, run by the U.S. Naval Institute, also reported that the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) based in Okinawa Prefecture are among the units being deployed.
It remains unclear what specific role the additional troops will play. A day earlier, United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said losses from disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have reached 11 billion dollars and indicated that escort operations could begin soon.



sjmary@fnnews.com Seo Hye-jin Reporter