After ceasefire, US may count on Japan to clear mines in Strait of Hormuz
Iran tensions
Last American naval minesweeper set to be retired as soon as 2027
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Etajima minesweeper makes a port call in Cambodia in April 2025. (Pool photo)
Kouta Ohyama and Ryota Ogata
TOKYO — The Japanese government is considering plans to help sweep mines from the Strait of Hormuz once a ceasefire is reached in the Iran war, at a time when the U.S. Navy is planning to retire the last of its minesweeping ships.
