April 3, 2026

The U.S. military is rapidly deploying ground troops to the Middle East, including the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31MEU) and the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

From Japan, in addition to the 31MEU, two Aegis destroyers homeported at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Pref.) have already joined the U.S.-Israeli military operation and are attacking Iran with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The U.S. military intends to further intensify its missile attacks and airstrikes which have continued since the start of the war, and is preparing to seize control of Iran’s main oil export terminal on Kharg Island. The unit tasked with carrying out this operation will be the 31st MEU from Okinawa. Furthermore, the U.S. military may carry out airstrikes using F-35B stealth fighters (based at the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Base, Yamaguchi Pref.) deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (homeported at the U.S. Navy Sasebo Base, Nagasaki Pref.), which has been dispatched to the Middle East alongside the 31st MEU.

Given these developments, it is likely that the U.S. administration will increase pressure on the Japanese government to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East.

U.S. President Trump in his speech on April 1 stated, “The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it.” He continued, “[T]he countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” and called on them to “build up some delayed courage” to “go to the Strait” and “just take it.”

These remarks deny the U.S. responsibility for unilaterally launching a war on Iran, undermining security in the Strait of Hormuz, and causing massive damage to the global economy, while leaving the “cleaning-up” work after the war of aggression to other nations.

According to reports by South Korean news agency Yonhap, U.S. President Trump named South Korea, Japan, and China as countries that should take responsibility for guarding the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “Let Japan do it. They get 90 percent of the oil from the strait.”

Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu has suggested dispatching SDF minesweepers “after a ceasefire” is reached. However, it is unconscionable for Japan to send the SDF to “clean up” the consequences of such an unlawful war.

Past related articles:
> US military fighter jets stationed at Misawa also sent to Middle East [March 29, 2026]
> Tamura: Gov’t should ban use of US bases in Japan for US-Israeli war on Iran [March 15 & 17, 2026]
> 2 Yokosuka-based US Aegis ships fire Tomahawk missiles at Iran [March 6 & 8, 2026]