TOKYO — Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday that a vessel owned by a Japanese company, with three Japanese crew members aboard, has safely made its way through the Strait of Hormuz and out of the Gulf region.
The ship had been stranded in the Gulf as a result of the Iran war. According to the ministry, Japanese officials worked directly with Iran to arrange the vessel’s safe passage. The tanker is now headed back to Japan.
The vessel is identified as a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker belonging to Japan’s Kyoei Tanker company.
With this ship’s departure, Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that all Japan-linked vessels with Japanese crew members on board have now successfully left the Gulf.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addressed the situation on social media platform X, stating: “Following the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, the government will continue making every diplomatic effort to ensure that free and safe navigation of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz resumes promptly.”
Despite this development, Prime Minister Takaichi noted that 37 vessels with ties to Japan are still waiting for clearance to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
