TOKYO, March 3 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday she will hold "candid talks" with US President Donald Trump on the strikes conducted by his nation and Israel on Iran when they meet for a summit in Washington later this month, Kyodo News reported.
During a parliamentary committee session, Takaichi, who is expected to meet with Trump on March 19 at the White House, said the Japanese government cannot "make a legal assessment, as of now," regarding the US and Israeli attacks on Iran launched last weekend.
The government has refrained from commenting on whether the US-Israeli military operation violates international law, citing a lack of "detailed information," while urging Tehran to seek a "diplomatic solution" to the conflict, stop developing nuclear weapons, and halt attacks on surrounding countries.
Stability in the Middle East is vital for Japan, which has traditionally maintained friendly ties with Iran while being a close US ally, given the resource-poor Asian nation's heavy dependence on the region for crude oil.
At the Diet session, Takaichi also said no immediate impact on domestic electricity and gas prices is expected from the ongoing conflict, and that the government is "not at a stage of making a decision" on continuing subsidies for household utility bills, which end on March 31.
Earlier in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference that the government has urged Japanese vessels to steer clear of the Persian Gulf amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The transport ministry has advised vessels already in the Persian Gulf to dock at safe locations, said Kihara, the top government spokesman, adding no damage to Japan-related ships located west of the strait had been reported.
The government was confirming whether the strait, one of the world's most critical oil transit routes, had been closed and will continue watching the situation carefully, Kihara said.
-- BERNAMA-KYODO
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